A Deed Without A Name
by Cianovonjo
Summary: When Bennett begins having visions of death in Beacon Hills, it's time he went home to find the source of the darkness he's starting to feel. But when he arrives, darkness isn't the only thing he finds. He finds love. Set during Season 3, starting in Unleashed. SLASH OMC/Stiles M/M
1. Chapter 1- Not In Kansas Anymore

**WARNINGS:** This story is a slash story, meaning its content describes homosexual relationships and sex. I do not own Teen Wolf (the movie or tv show). Although this story is rated M, the sex will not appear for a while so if you're reading to get your rocks off, this is probably not the best story to read. There's violence, graphic language, sex, and magic. Also, this isn't one of those stories where the two characters instantly fall in love and have sex, there is a buildup. For the most part, the series will follow the episodes in which their chapters are named after. The first couple of chapters will follow the show to the letter but as the show and this story collides, I will make slight alterations to the show's storyline. The Prologue is written in first person to allow the audience to get an understanding of the character, his backstory, and his personality but the first chapter begins the actual story. Thank you and enjoy.

Bennett's appearance (model Bartek Borowiec)

**PROLOGUE **

Don't cry for me, Argentina. Truth is I was never human.

Well, sorta. I think it really depends on your definition of "human." If you ask most people in "the know", we are human just born with a little something extra. You see, I'm a witch. Quoting Lady Gaga, I was born this way. My mother is a witch, my brother is a witch, my grandmother was a witch, both my great-grandparents were witches and so on.

The visions first started when I was 6. I saw my cat Skittles get hit by a car in a dream and the next day…BAM! Meow Mix all over our driveway.

When I was 9, I started hearing the voices. At first they were whispers but after a while it was like a rave in my head.

Bass and all.

24 hours a day.

It took me at least 6 months before I could turn the volume down a little bit but that was around the time the emotions started to hit me.

And hit me they did.

Hard.

There were times it felt like they were my own emotions, they were so strong. So suffice it to say, school was NOT a picnic. My mom helped as much as she could but she kept throwing cryptic bullshit at me like "a witch must find his or hers own focus point."

Like I said…bullshit.

I was 13 when I got so angry, I destroyed the locker room at school. Some assholes thought it would be just the funniest if they fucked with the gay kid after gym class. 15 seconds later, they were buried under a lot of rubble. I mean A LOT of rubble. My parents kept saying "luckily no one was seriously injured…"

Yea…"lucky."

At age 14, I accidently caused my neighbor to go mute for a week. My mom said her house reeked of my magick.

How was I supposed to know that she would take me telling her to shut the hell up so literally?!

A year ago, on the night after my 15th birthday, I astral projected for the first time. I thought I was having a really kinky dream about this guy on the baseball team at school.

Great ass.

No brains.

When I got there I was treated to the sight of him working himself over like it was going out of style. Seriously, what he was doing should qualify as some sort of abuse! Turns out I wasn't dreaming, at least that's what the ghosts told me. My mom later told they were shades of the dead. Mental imprints of the memories of those we carry with us but it was all a little too Ghost Whisperer for my taste. I got a little lost on the way back and when I did get back into my body, I was exhausted.

And I had a hard-on I could drill a hole in the wall with!

At 16, I got a better hold on my powers and what I can do. My mom taught me to respect Nature and give back to it as much as I take. I learned that with great power comes great responsibility….and no, I'm not Spider-man.

That douche.

Since then I also learned I can manipulate the elements (Earth, Air, Fire, and Water) which shocked the hell out of my mom. Apparently it's a rare skill that not every witch can learn. It's not as fun as it sounds. I can only control the elements already present, I can't create them from nothing.

THAT I learned the hard way.

Which brings me to the doozy of a vision I'm having right now.

_"Hey!" I screamed, looking down the dark alley. "Bullet!Come here Bullet!"_

_Walking down the alley, an uneasy feeling begins to creep into my gut. I hear my dog Bullet whimpering to my left, right underneath the dumpster. _

_"There you are." I crouch down, on hands and knees, and I peer under the dumpster, seeing movement underneath._

_"Come on Bullet!" But the only response I get from Bullet as I reach towards him is a sharp nip on my fingers. "Son of a bitch! Did you just bite me?!" _

_Gasping in surprise, I pull back my bloody fingers and I examine them in the dim light of the alleyway. From ahead of me, I hear Bullet whimper again. I look up and I'm greeted with Bullet looking at me, a quizzical look in his eyes as he cocks his head to the left._

_But if Bullet is in front of me, what bit me?_

_Peering underneath the dumpster again._

Closer, _I can hear it calling to me, _Come closer….

_Bullet begins to bark behind me. _CLOSER! _ Suddenly I feel something wrap around my arm and pull me under._

_Darkness…._

I awake suddenly, body propelling forward and out of bed. "Shit!" I scream, throwing open my bedroom door as I sprint down the hardwood-floored hallway to my parents bedroom at the end of the hall. _Damn, why is this house so fucking big?!_ Throwing myself against the door and tearing it open, I see the surprised and groggy faces of my parents staring back at me.

"We need to go to Beacon Hills!"

**CHAPTER 1- NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE**

The bright mid-afternoon sun was set high in the sky, its radiance shining down onto the pavement of the long road, causing heat to rise from the hot concrete. Bennett Rosenberg placed his head on the air-condition cooled window, taking a deep breath as the trees lining the road whizzed past him. He could feel the warm California sun touching his exceptionally pale skin as he released the sigh that had been building for the last hour and a half of the drive. Bennett lifted himself up and pulled the black hair tie from the pocket of his beaten up black faux-leather jacket and tied his long, bright red hair up into a ponytail. His father, Darrin, constantly urged him to get a haircut but the wavy crimson locks, which fell to the middle of his back, was his pride and joy. Luckily his father wasn't here at the moment. His high level job at a prominent advertising firm in San Francisco meant he couldn't move with the family. Bennett's 13 year old brother Vartan also chose to stay with their father in San Francisco.

Bennett peered out the window of his mother's white Tesla S, one part anxious, one part terrified. He hadn't **wanted **to move, leaving behind everything and everyone he loved but a lifetime of his mother drilling in his head the importance of a witch's land to their livelihood meant helping his people was more important than his own needs.

_Besides _he reasoned to himself _with my shining wit and perky ass, I'll make new friends in no time._

They were on their way from San Francisco to Beacon Hills, the place that has been calling to Bennett his entire life. It was a constant whisper in the back of his head, urging him to come home and Bennett was all too happy to oblige. He's drawn to this place for good reason; it was the place of his birth and for witches, your birthplace is one of your most important assets.

Bennett rolled his eyes dramatically as his mother began asking him the same question she's asked 3 times since last night when he ran into her bedroom and declared they had to leave.

"So tell me again what you saw," Alyssa Rosenberg said, diverting her eyes from the road momentarily before turning them back, pushing her red hair behind her right ear. "Because so far, none of this is making any sense."

"I told you already mom, I had a vision of a guy getting taken by something. I don't know what it was but he was terrified, **very** terrified. I could feel it. I know something bad is going to happen to him." Bennett replied.

"I'm not doubting you honey. As a witch, you are tied to your land and the people born there. You would be the first person to know if there was a threat invading your lands. But Bennett, why now? A year ago you had visions of lizard men, wayward hunters, and murderous wolves and you did nothing to stop them, why is this so important now?"

"I wish I could tell you I had this divine revelation from Ghandi or Eartha Kitt but I just know this time this seems a lot stronger than last year. Something evil is going on there and no one can do anything about it. No one even knows what it is! Did you talk to Aunt Dahlia? What did she say about it?"

"Well as you know, your aunt permanently bound her powers when we were young so her connection to the land is cut off and she's distanced herself from anything magickal. Besides, we were born in San Francisco so Beacon Hills is cut off from our power. Your cousin seems to also be cut off from her powers so she can't feel it either. It seems my sister's binding spell carried over to her daughter, even before she was conceived."

"Do you know of any other witches in Beacon Hills who could help?"

"Not that I know of," his mother replied, her freckled forehead wrinkling in concentration, "From what I understand, the only witches born in Beacon Hills are you and your cousin."

"If there aren't any other witches and Didi is cut off from her magick that would make me the sole witch drawing on the lands power. Am I the Alpha Witch of Beacon Hills?" Bennett asked, his eyes shifting through a number of emotions- fear, happiness, suspicion, and finally wonder.

"Technically, your cousin is the Alpha Witch of Beacon Hills as she was born first but seeing as she has no power or connection to the lands, she cannot claim her birthright. I could just kill my sister for what she did! It is her right to know of her heritage but instead Dahlia keeps her in the dark like some infant!" Alyssa responded, her dark green eyes going darker and knuckles going white as she clutched the steering wheel. Taking 3 calming breaths, the charged air within the small car began to ease and her eyes regained their emerald hue.

The rest of the ride was silent and minutes later Bennett plugs his headphones into his ears and began dozing off to the lull of his favorite song. As he slept, the sun crept lower in the sky, setting along the long horizon ahead.

Bennett didn't need his mother to wake him and tell him when they first arrived in Beacon Hills; he could feel it within his very bones.

The instant the "Welcome to Beacon Hills" sign came into view, Bennett's eyes snapped open from the sheer power that shot through his body. He could feel his magick double, and then triple. He could feel it in his very core. He could hear the thoughts and feelings of everyone in the small town, his head pounding at the onslaught of voices and sensations. His senses were on fire; the leaves on the trees seemed brighter, the air seemed sweeter, and the new possibility of living here was filled with a hope Bennett had never felt before. That emptiness that he constantly felt his whole life slowly began to dissipate and he was starting to feel whole. His blood was like molten fire shooting through his veins, his breath felt too rambunctious to be held by his lungs, even his fingertips hummed with unreleased power.

"Mom, what is this feeling?!" Bennett said, his moss green eyes glowing brightly.

"That would be you returning to your lands. The last time you were here was when you were born so being cut off from its power for 16 years is causing it all to come flooding back. Your power levels will even out the longer we're here." Alyssa replied, a faint smile playing on her painted pink lips.

Heart racing, Bennett took several calming breaths, finding his focus and trying to center himself.

"Maybe if you hold Semanti, it'll help center your power?" Alyssa said pointing to the 5 foot long white Texas Rat Snake coiled in a cage in the back seat.

Reaching behind him and undoing the latches on the cage, Bennett laid his left hand, palm up, on the edge of the cage as the snake began coiling up his arm, tongue darting out several times, her snow white scales tickling Bennett's arm as she wrapped herself around him.

"Ok Semanti, I know you feel the power just as much as I do so I need your help centering until we can get out of this car and return the excess to the land. Otherwise I might end up going full Willow from Buffy and I really don't have time for that mess. I would look **terrible** with black hair."

The only reply he got from her was a hiss, which seemed to be enough for Bennett. Looking at the multitude of jeweled rings on his fingers, Bennett searched through them until he found the gemstone whose properties of focus would help him at this moment. Landing on the ring on his right index finger, Bennett stared deeply into the light blue Calcite stone set atop the silver band.

The world slowly receded as Bennett continued to steady his breathing, as the power eased back from his body. The voices dulled to a harsh whisper, the emotions just prickling reminders of what the town held. Bennett could feel the power underneath his skin but the sensation was not as overwhelming as it was before. Bringing himself back, the world began coming back to his vision.

Looking up, Bennett realized it had grown dark outside, Semanti had fallen asleep in his lap, and he was now sitting in an empty car. Peering through the windshield, Bennett knew exactly where he was- his Aunt Dahlia's house. The large house looked almost ominous in the darkness but he knew inside was filled with love and warmth. Waking Semanti up temporarily, Bennett placed his arm against his neck, allowing Semanti to slither over to his neck and coil around it like some ornate necklace. Opening the door and climbing out, Bennett let his body unfurl from the tight knots of having been sitting in a car for 3 hours. Walking over to the grass on the left of the driveway, Bennett placed his hands to the soil and began pushing the excess power back into the land, completely shutting out the voices and emotions, the pressure in his head easing.

"Let's do this thing." Bennett said, standing up and brushing his dirty hands across his ripped black skin-tight jeans. Bennett opens the back door of the car and grabbed the large suitcases neatly stacked on the back seat. Walking up the steps to the large glass door, and twisting the golden knob, Bennett is greeted by the sounds of his mother and aunt in the kitchen happily chatting away. Kicking his grubby Doc Marten 1940 boots off and leaving the suitcases at the door, Bennett made his way towards the kitchen where the adult women were catching up, even though they had just spoke days ago.

"What up, Aunt Dahlia!" Bennett said throwing his arms around his aunt and kissing her on the cheek.

"Bennett! Honey, you've gotten so tall! How tall are you now?!"

"About 6'2" now, I think." Bennett replied, drawing his eyes up to the ceiling as his forehead wrinkled and his mouth twisted into a frown. "I want to grow at least 2 more inches. I don't want to be like Shaq tall but I enjoy towering over the villagers."

Dahlia rolled her eyes at her nephew's antics. Looking him up and down with a frown, she turns to her sister. "Aly, with all the money you and Darrin make, why not buy the boy some decent clothes?"

"Oh, I do, but he still chooses to wear that same beat up jacket and boots!" Alyssa replied, smiling at her son.

"Whatever. You girls are no fun! My style says a lot about me, I'm cool, urban, and with an I don't give a shit attitude. The fellahs love it, trust me! Now where is Didi, I want to go terrorize her a little bit!" Bennett replied, mischief dancing across his face.

"She's upstairs but be nice Bennett she has a friend with her!"

"Best behavior, I promise Aunt D!" Bennett replied giving his aunt an award winning smile and a wink.

Running up the stairs two at a time, Bennett made it to his cousin's bedroom and he could hear her and another voice talking inside. Planting a grin back on his face, Bennett throws open the door.

"Miss Motherfucker!"

"Bennett, you're finally here! Oh my god, I haven't seen you in ages! Your hair is so long! You're so tall! Oh, this is my best friend. Allison, this is my cousin Bennett!" Lydia said, a large grin planted on her face.

* * *

So, what do you think? Message me and let me know if you wish to read more of this story and I'll continue writing.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

As I said before, this isn't one of those stories where the two characters instantly fall in love and have sex, there is a buildup and Bennett and his mom will probably stay with the Martin's for a while since their move was so last minute.

Bennett's name (Bennett Warren Rosenberg) was inspired by famous witches in pop culture. Bennett is Bonnie's last name from The Vampire Diaries. Warren (his middle name) is the ancestral name of the Charmed Ones from Charmed and I made his family from San Francisco because this is the setting of Charmed. Rosenberg is Willow from Buffy's last name. Both his parents have parts of their names from B'Witched (his dad's first name Darrin, and his mother's maiden name Stevens). I made up Lydia's mom's name but I'll change it if it's revealed in canon.

There is also a reason I made him Lydia's cousin and it's not just because I wanted to. The truth will be revealed.


	2. Chapter 2- Unleashed

**CHAPTER 2- UNLEASHED**

_"Witch's Oath" _Bennett read aloud from the large book, the words written in ornate letters by one of his many ancestors. It had a plain black cover, its pages were aged yellow, and it was written in a language only known to witches. The book itself hummed with the power of centuries old Protection spells that had been placed upon it to keep the information from prying eyes. Bennett recalled the morning after his vision when his mother decided they would be moving to Beacon Hills. She'd made him take The Witch's Oath that he would not reveal their heritage to Lydia or any of her friends.

"_The Witch's Oath is a powerful binding spell performed between two witches for many purposes. The spell binds one witch to another with an oath that if broken, results in the offending witch's death. When making the oath, wording is everything. If a witch doesn't phrase the oath properly, the other witch can easily find loopholes within the limitations of the oath. In order to perform the oath both….." _Bennett closed the book with the sigh. He had read and reread the same passage eight times and still he found no solution to his current conundrum. The problem arose from the fact he came to Beacon Hills to save the boy with the dog but he cannot ask for help without revealing to his cousin he (and inadvertently she) is a witch. His next problem was that he had no clue when the boy would be attacked, if it had not already come to pass.

Rubbing his tired eyes, Bennett threw himself back into the plush pillows of the bed he was occupying. Glancing up at the light beige ceiling of his aunt's guest room, he racked his brain trying to figure out what his next plan was. His thoughts were interrupted by a soft tapping on the bedroom door. Sliding the Book underneath the mountain of frilly pillows behind him, Bennett answered with a clear, "Come in!"

Lydia, clad in a light blue silk short nightgown, entered the room with a smile on her face, her strawberry blonde hair piled atop her head.

"Hey Ben, I couldn't sleep and I know you're an insomniac so I knew you'd be awake!" She said, sliding underneath the covers and snuggling close to Bennett.

"What's up Didi?" Bennett replied, wrapping his arms around his favorite cousin.

"Firstly, don't call me Didi, no one's called me that since I was a kid! Secondly, I can't sleep because I miss Jackson. Truth is I haven't slept well since he left for London. I don't know if it's because I miss lying next to him or if I just miss him period, y'know? And it sucks because before he left, I really felt like we were on the road to being good and then he just up and left. I keep calling him but he won't answer and I'm starting to feel like the clingy ex-girlfriend now and with things getting weird lately and people have started dying, I just…..god, look at me running off at the mouth again. We've been talking about me since you got here. How are you? Is there a special guy I should about? Oh, how's Vartan?!"

Bennett, sporting an amused look on his face, leaned back and looked at his cousin before speaking. "Ok, well I should first tell you I'm going to call you Didi whether you like or not. Actually the fact that you hate it makes me like it ever more! Never apologize for expressing your feelings to me! Especially after all the crap I called and complain about all these years! Ummm…I've been good. There have been no special guys unfortunately. I've hooked up with a few guys at my old school but you know how it is, none of them are really looking for a relationship. It's whatever. Vartan is Vartan. He's a freshman this year; he's on the football team, baseball, wrestling, the whole nine yards. Dad just eats that shit up but Vartan has always been dad's favorite. I'm sure if he had moved here he would try out for the lacrosse team. Speaking of, what kind of school doesn't have a football team but has a _lacrosse _team?! Can your school get any whiter?"

At this Lydia burst into laughter and proclaimed, "Oh, I'm sorry our schools not cool enough for you and your urban sensibilities! I always forget how impossibly ethnic you are!" sarcasm dripping from her every word. "By the way, why did you move here? My mom said it's because you were having trouble with the kids at your school but I know you Ben, you _are _the trouble."

Bennett gave a small chuckle before collecting himself and remembering the lie he and his mother had worked out earlier. "My mom just felt like I was falling into the wrong crowd, but you know how my mom is, anyone who doesn't recycle or eat organic is the 'wrong crowd'!"

"That does sound like Aunt Aly!" Lydia replied, before releasing a loud yawn. "Unfortunately while you still have a week of sitting on your ass around the house, I have school in the morning. And before you say no, I am sleeping in here so turn off the lights."

Rolling his eye, Bennett leaned over Lydia's form and switched off the lights before pulling the blankets up his long body and slowly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

"….and why are you talking like he's already dead?" Scott said in the emptying locker room, the smell of sweat and testosterone lingering in the air. "He's just missing."

Stiles gave Scott incredulous look as if he was missing the big picture. "Missing and presumed dead because he was probably a virgin, Scott, and you know who else is a virgin?! Me! I'm a virgin, ok? And you know what that means?! It means my lack of sexual experience is now literally a threat to my life, ok? I need to have sex like right now! Someone needs to have sex with me like today! Like someone needs to sex me right now!" Stiles rambled on slamming his locker shut.

Danny, whose locker was close by, looked over at Stiles and Scott, face completely devoid of a shred of humor. "Alright, I'll do it."

"Ah!" Stiles turned around in utter surprise, staring at Danny as if he had grown an extra head. Stiles' thoughts were racing with questions he had been wondering about for a while now.

Smiling Danny replied, "Come over to my place at 9. Plan to stay the night. I like to cuddle."

Stiles' look of shock morphed into a look more akin to relief as he looks at Scott, who is wearing a similar look of disbelief.

"Awww that's so sweet, are you kidding?

"Yes, I'm kidding!" Danny replied, walking away from the slack-jawed duo.

"You don't toy with a guy's emotions like that Danny! It's not attractive, alright?!" Stiles shouted at Danny's retreating back.

And despite the fact Danny wasn't his type; Stiles felt a longing in his heart for what Danny was offering. And the offer wasn't at all as unpleasant to Stiles as it should have been.

* * *

Alyssa Rosenberg stepped out of her car, her red hair curled to perfection. The sound of her bright red stilettos could be heard as she walked across the empty parking lot of the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic. Opening the glass door, her senses are assaulted by the smell of industrial cleanser and animals. Lifting her jeweled fingers to her face and removing her sunglasses, a smile plays across her lips as she looked at the man sitting at the reception desk.

"Hello Alan. It's been a long time."

Deaton looked up from the reception desk, surprise written all over his face at the woman who has just entered his office. A visitor he had not seen in many years.

"Alyssa Stevens, to what do I owe this pleasure to?"

"It's Rosenberg now…. Let's see, what has it been, 10 years since the last time we saw each other? But I'm not here to socialize with you; I'm here because my son has been having terrible visions lately. Visions about murder. So naturally, we had to come back to his lands and figure out what is going on. Am I making a vast assumption by thinking you have an idea about why 2 people have been found dead?"

Deaton glanced over at the sprigs of herbs on the windowsills of the waiting room, looking back at the woman in her stylish black sheer blouse and white and gold brocade pencil skirt, completely out of place in the small and ordinary space.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I knew of the murders but I don't know why you would assume I would know of any foul play. I thought they were just ordinary murders."

Raising her manicured eyebrows, Alyssa replied. "Deaton, lying is not becoming and lying to a witch is not wise. Now, for as much as I abhor the use of force, the need to know what is going on here is much greater. I **know** you know. You know everything…. Please don't make me hurt you."

Deaton looked at Alyssa's genuinely pleading face and back at his windowsill. This time Alyssa caught the movement. Turning her eyes toward the windowsill she saw what Deaton kept glancing at.

"Really Deaton, vervain?! I was under the assumption we were friends yet I come to say hello and you strip me of my magick?" Alyssa's features soften and the tension in her body leaves her as she looked at Deaton's stiff form. "Please, I just want answers. For my son's sake. Maybe we could stop whoever's doing this if we knew what we were up against."

Sighing, Deaton turned and gestures for Alyssa to follow him to the backroom. When they enter, he turned to Alyssa and offered her the seat in the corner of the room. Leaning against the large steel table, he looked over at the woman.

"I'm sorry Aly, it's just lately I don't know who to trust. I know you wouldn't intentionally hurt me and I know how important your kids are to you. I honestly don't know a lot. From what I can tell, the 3 murders share a connection with the sacrifices in England back in '84. The 3 victims were all virgins, and just like last time, there were mistletoe seeds found within their stomachs and they were killed in the same manner- bludgeoned, bound, and throats slit. I believe this to be the work of Druids…well, someone who's copying the Druids"

Alyssa crossed her legs, placing her elbows on her knees, and her chin on her steeped fingers. Her eyebrows shot up as she registered what Deaton had just told her.

"Wait, 3 murders? Bennett only said he saw a boy murdered by a swimming pool and another girl getting snatched from a wine cellar. Who's the third?"

"A girl named Emily. She was taken from the woods. She's not originally from Beacon Hills, which is probably why Bennett didn't see her abduction. The other 2 were born here."

Nodding her head, Alyssa began to speak, "The reason we're here in the first place is because last night Bennett said he saw a boy get taken. He said the boy had a dog named Bullet and…."

"Wait. A boy with a dog named Bullet? I treated that dog last night. Scott brought the dog back in 10 minutes after the boy left. The owner is missing."

Alyssa stood from her seat, her jeweled bracelets jingling as she rises.

"Then I'm afraid we might be too late. Victim number 4 has probably been claimed." Alyssa turned towards the door, placing her sunglasses back onto her slim nose, "I must get going and tell Bennett about what I've found out. I'll keep you updated as well…and Deaton? Get rid of the vervain. My patience only extends so far."

Deaton made a slight nod as Alyssa glided through the doors of the backroom and out into the waiting room. As she's walking to her car, a tall teenage boy is entering. They lock eyes for a moment, both offering cordial smiles before continuing on their paths.

* * *

_Bzzzzzzz! Bzzzzzz! Bzzzzzz!_

Throwing his arm and swiping it across the bedside table, groaning Bennett grabbed the offending device. Pulling it under the refuge of his blankets, Bennett looked at the brightly glowing screen of his phone. On the face read he's received a message from Lydia.

_I kno ur probably still sleeping (lazy) but I just found out another guy was murdered. They found him tied to a tree this mrng. Also, really hott guy at school named Aiden asked me out today. I said no. Gtta make him work for it! _

Bennett smiled reading the message but he suddenly felt as if a bucket of ice water was dumped on his head. The pit of his stomach dropped and his throat got incredibly dry. Bennett began to notice the tell tale signs that accompanied him when he knew another person had been killed- his head was pounding and his neck felt tender.

_Great! Just great! I come here to save lives and people are **still **dying!_

Sighing and throwing back the blankets, Bennett threw a quick glance at the clock on the bedside table- Noon. He made his way down the stairs of the lofty home and walked towards the kitchen, being greeted by the sight of his aunt in a form-fitting dress and blazer, sitting at the kitchen table with papers strewn across its grainy surface.

"Hey Aunt D, where's my mom?" Bennett threw himself into the nearest chair after having grabbed a box of Pop-Tarts. Opening a package, he took a large bite and waited expectantly for his aunt to respond.

Looking up from the mountain of papers, Dahlia smiled at the disheveled appearance of her nephew before responding, "She said she was going to look at houses today. You know, I never noticed before how handsome you are Bennett, it's a shame you hide behind all that hair!"

Giving his aunt a death glare, Bennett stood up from the table and placed the box back on the counter. At the doorway, Bennett turned and gave his aunt a sly grin. "Sometimes the boys need a little something to hold on to." As he left the kitchen, he could hear his aunt chuckle. He smiled as he made his way back up the stairs to his bedroom.

Pulling his suitcase from under the bed, Bennett rummaged around his countless number of black clothing and finally settled on a loose sheer shirt and a pair of drop-crotch pants. Picking up his phone and finding his cousin's name, he replied to her earlier message.

_If he's the same Aiden you told me about a week ago, sounds like he's working too hard! Just remember, no one likes a prude! Gonna explore town today. Hurry home, I'm bored!_

Throwing the phone back on the bed, Bennett headed to the attached bathroom. _Everything's so white in here _he thought to himself before turning on the shower, _makes me feel like I'm in a mental institution! Bennett, Interrupted….I kinda like the sound of that._

Stepping under the spray of the hot water, Bennett closed the glass shower door and his eyes as the water cascaded over his lithe form. The water drew his pain away as his headache slowly began to disappear. Pouring a dollop of organic shampoo into his fingers, Bennett worked up lather as the room began to fill with steam and the smell of vanilla. Rubbing it into his red hair, Bennett hummed in contentment.

_Maybe today won't be as bad as I thought it would be…._

* * *

"…..This could be one of many possibilities! He could have simply left for the day." Deaton said, trying to rationalize the situation. He, Lydia, and Stiles had just arrived at Mr. Harris' empty office. Stiles was searching around his desk while Lydia was idly gazing around the desolate classroom.

"Yea, well…not without this." Stiles replied, picking up Mr. Harris' computer bag. Stiles was beginning to get a very bad feeling about this whole situation. It was then that he noticed the graded papers on the Chemistry teacher's desk.

"What?" Deaton asked, looking at Stiles' inquisitive face.

Stiles flipped the paper he was holding over to allow Deaton and Lydia to see what he was looking at. Written on the top right corner of the page in red ink was the letter "R".

Coming around to his side of the desk, Deaton and Lydia also began going through the papers, next finding the letter "H". Laying all of the graded papers out onto the table, they began to spell out a word.

Deaton, taking a deep breath, looked forward, foreboding pouring from his body. "Stiles, do you remember I told you that 'Druid' is the Gaelic word for 'wise oak'?"

"Yea…."

"If a Druid went down the wrong path, 'the wise oak' was sometimes said to have become 'the dark oak'. There's a Gaelic word for that as well- 'Darach'"

Lydia, who was silent through this exchange, looked over at Deaton whose eyes were still gazing at the bold red letters. "What does this all mean?"

Finally pulling his eyes from the papers, Deaton looked into her eyes, "I honestly don't know. What I do know is something big is happening and it seems we may all have a role to play in it. I need to go back to my office and do more research."

Gently pushing past Lydia and heading towards the door, Deaton turned and looked at the pair of them. "There's nothing any of us can do right now, it would be best if you both just go home. I'll keep you posted."

Lydia turned towards Stiles who's also wearing a look of confusion. "Well, what are you up to for the rest of the day?"

"Ummm… not much. My dad's working late, so it's just me at home. I would call Scott but he said he'll be studying tonight and I apparently do nothing but distract him. Why, what's up?"

"My cousin Bennett has moved to town and he's staying with us so I was wondering if you would like to come over and hang out with us? I think you two will hit it off, you both unfortunately, have a lot in common."

Stiles had been waiting for an opportunity to go back to Lydia's house ever since he took her home after the swimming pool incident. "Yea, sure! I'll just go home and make a quick dinner for my dad and I'll be right over!" He said, almost too enthusiastically.

* * *

_Hey, I'll be home in 20. My friend Stiles is coming over to hang out._

Bennett smiled reading the text message his cousin had just sent him. He knew that Stiles had a crush on Lydia. **Everyone **knew about the crush, even Bennett's friends in San Francisco. Bennett was aware of who Stiles was. He had seen him many times in the visions Bennett had last year but he had never seen the boy in person. Bennett had thought the skinny boy was attractive when he saw him in the visions but with the knowledge of his love for Lydia, he was not going to waste his breath.

Bennett had returned from exploring the small town a half hour ago and had just settled into his bed after feeding Semanti. His mother had returned while he was out and when he came home, she and his aunt were once again chattering away while cooking dinner. Knowing his mother, it would be all organic and free-range.

Pulling out the family's Book of Shadows from underneath the pillows where he put it last night, Bennett began searching for a spell that could help him discover who was killing the people in his visions. He looked through Clarity Spells, Truth Spells, even Tracking Spells but all of them required him to have more information than he had. At this time, he heard Lydia pulling into the driveway and walking up the walkway, chattering noisily on her phone. Walking towards his bedroom door, Bennett took a quick look at the open book on his bed. Opening his mind, Bennett's eyes began to darken as he felt his power reach out towards the book. Using his thoughts, he closed the book and slid it under his bed.

Lydia walked into the kitchen as Bennett was walking down the stairs. Turning towards her cousin, she gestured upstairs. Bennett and Lydia walked into Lydia's bedroom and Bennett threw himself on her bed as Lydia began to change.

"So when is Stiles getting here?" Bennett asked, looking up at the ceiling, his hair fanning around him like a flaming halo.

"He had to do something at home first" Lydia replied, sticking her head out of the closet. She changed from the blue button-up and burgundy leather skirt she had been wearing earlier into a purple ruffled floral dress.

"So tell me about this Aiden who's apparently dumb enough to ask you out." Bennett said, propping himself up on one elbow.

Rolling her eyes, Lydia replied, "Well, he has a **great** body, very muscular. He's very cute and has that strong, silent thing going for him. Oh, he has a hot twin brother, I could totally introduce you….although I think he might have a thing with Danny."

"Nah, I'm good. Muscles aren't really my thing. Besides, I'm taking myself off the market for now. I wouldn't want to take all the cute guys from the rest of the school."

The conversation continued on for an hour when Stiles arrived at the Martin house. Shortly after his arrival, they all ate dinner and enjoyed Alyssa and Dahlia's retelling of their childhoods under the roof of their hippy parents. After dinner was over, the three teens walked up to Bennett's bedroom. Stiles and Bennett were chatting away about comic books while Lydia was tapping away on her phone. 20 minutes later Lydia left the two boys to talk when Allison showed up and the two girls went to Lydia's room, the boys oblivious to her departure.

"Dude, you cannot honestly say Marvel is better than DC!" Stiles said for the fourth time. He was sitting on the floor next to Bennett's bed while they were watching a movie. Bennett was on top of the bed, leaning over the side.

"C'mon Stiles, Marvel has the best characters- The X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, Spiderman! There's no contest! Not to mention, I have a girl crush on Storm." Bennett retorted.

"Ok, true but you can't deny the appeal of Superman, Batman, and Green Arrow!"

"Yea but how great can Batman be if he doesn't have powers?! He's just some rich dude with too much time on his hands! That's the definition of vigilante. And Superman is way too overpowered. His only weakness is a rock that's not even that easy to find!"

"Ok, but what about Iron Man, he's also a super rich dude who…"

The conversation ultimately ended with both of them agreeing to disagree. From there, they debated Classic Star Wars vs. Modern Star Wars, the war between vampires and werewolves, and the likelihood of a zombie invasion. By the time Mrs. Rosenberg came upstairs, Allison had left, Lydia was preparing for bed, and it was already 11:30 at night. They also hadn't noticed it had been raining.

"Sorry to interrupt boys, but it's pretty late and Stiles has school in the morning." Alyssa announced. She had long since abandoned her blouse and pencil skirt and was now wearing a matching red silk pajama set, her hair pulled back into a tight bun, face devoid of makeup.

"Yea, she's right dude. My dad's probably home by now and pissed I didn't call. Maybe we could hang out again after school tomorrow? Scott has to work so I'll be alone again." Stiles said, putting his shoes and jacket on.

"Yea, cool, I'll see you tomorrow." Bennett answered.

"Sweet! Thanks Mrs. Rosenberg for dinner, I've never eaten free-range chicken and organic vegetables before. Can't say I taste a difference but it was still pretty good. Oh! And tell Lydia I said sorry for ignoring her, Bennett and I were having a super important debate. And tell Mr. and Mrs. Martin that I said thanks for letting me come over tonight. And also…"

"I will most certainly spread the word, Stiles," Mrs. Rosenberg replied, cutting off Stiles' rant. "See you tomorrow."

Alyssa Rosenberg waited at Bennett's door and listened as Stiles made his way down the stairs and out the door. It wasn't until they could hear the sound of Stiles jeep starting and pulling out of the driveway that she turned toward Bennett and said,

"Bennett we need to talk…"

* * *

_I can feel the ropes tightly securing me to the tree. I'm struggling but it's futile, the ropes are just too strong. My heart is racing and my breath is coming out in small gasps. The rain is pelting my face, making it hard to see. I can hear him around me above the pattering sound of the water. I'm not too confident to say, I'm terrified._

_ "Please" I try and reason with him, "don't do this!"_

_ I begin coughing as the thread around my neck tightens and it begins to get harder to breathe. I can feel the tears sliding down my face as I continue to struggle but they just mingle into the rain. _

This is over _I begin to think. _My life is over.

_ "I did what you asked! I did everything!" I screamed at him but still, no response. "They'll figure this out and they'll find you! You still need me!"_

_ And before I could utter another word, darkness enveloped me….._

Bennett awoke coughing, the rain hitting his window like a song, the thunder accompanying with rumbling bass. He couldn't breathe, his vision was blurry, and his throat was on fire. As his vision began to clear and his breath began to even out, Bennett knew deep down that it was too late. He had lost another one.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Well, finally the two meet. The first draft was more detailed in their first meeting but nothing big really happened so I summarized it as it made this chapter rather long. There was no heart stopping, world spinning moments between them so you're not missing much. I knew from the beginning I wanted them to be friends first, so no attraction **yet**.

I hope I didn't make Mrs. Rosenberg sound like a bitch during her meeting with Deaton cuz she's not. She's just a mama bear type and doesn't like her kids to be hurt but she's also a businesswoman so she's tough when she needs to be.

If you need better visuals, Google these people:

Bennett- Bartek Boroweic

Alyssa Rosenberg- a younger Julianne Moore (she's supposed to be like 43-46)

Darrin Rosenberg (his father)- Paul Bettany

Vartan Rosenberg (his brother)- Jake Shortall


	3. Chapter 3- Frayed

I will say this will be the beginning of me putting Bennett in canon scenes that he wasn't originally in but I'll try and do it in a way that it doesn't change the entire scene too much. So as of right now, it's not entirely AU. Also, someone asked me why I'm focusing on the Druid storyline and not the Alpha Pack storyline and that is because I'm more interested in the Druids than the Alphas, to me they don't contribute much to the show as a whole, but we'll see what happens there. I was also asked why Derek hasn't made an appearance and I can't write him in until Stiles or Lydia (the major connecters to Bennett in this story) have a scene with Derek which they haven't yet but it will eventually happen. This chapter is a little bit longer than usual.

**CHAPTER 3- FRAYED**

It had been a week since Mrs. Rosenberg told Bennett that Kyle, Bullet's owner, was dead and a week since he had the vision of Harris' death. Stiles had made it a habit to stop over everyday afterschool and they began a quick but close friendship in the small time they had known each other. Bennett was finally enrolled at Beacon Hills High and was introduced to Scott, Isaac, and Danny. Bennett could sense Isaac and Scott were not human and it wasn't until the two of them rumpled their noses at him and growled that he realized they were werewolves. He instantly felt hostility and animosity towards them. From the look in their eyes, they returned the favor.

When Bennett asked his mother about this, she explained it all one afternoon over chamomile tea that "witches and werewolves have never gotten along." She went on to say that "witches hate wolves because they are an unnatural creature that perverts the land with their disease. The wolves are also immune to some of a witch's power, such as their telepathy, empathy, and they make visions blurry. The wolves hate a witch's scent and witches immunity to any unnatural thing that enters their bodies, makes them immune to disease, poison, and the wolves bite."

Bennett told his mother about his vision of Mr. Harris' death, which led to her telling him he needs to be stronger if he wants to save his people, which is why they were now in a forest clearing, Mrs. Rosenberg training Bennett in the use of non-verbal spells.

"Ok," Alyssa said loudly. She was clad in a black tracksuit with her hair pulled back into a ponytail, "it helps if you mentally call forth the words of the spell while concentrating on the outcome you want. Non-verbal spells make it easier to use simple spells without having to call them out. It saves time."

"That's fine mom, but why can't I use any of my rings?!" Bennett asked in a petulant voice, "they'll help me concentrate!"

"That's true Ben but you need to learn to do this without drawing power from crystals. It's fine to do that after you've learned how to do this but you have to learn how to do this without outside help. Now clear your mind and focus on the task at hand."

"Fine Mr. Miyagi, I'll start with a simple Illumination Spell." Bennett replied, a smirk on his lips.

Opening both hands and holding them apart, Bennett closed his eyes and began to imagine the ball of light, while chanting the spell in his mind.

_Galadante! Galadante! Galadante! _He repeated over and over in his head. He could feel the power slowly trickling through his fingertips, just out of reach. His green eyes began to darken and turn black as he opens them and sees sparks of light dance across his outstretched fingers. _Galadante! _He shouts louder in his mind, the light growing stronger. With one more burst of power, the light Bennett held in his hands vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.

This continued on for another hour before Bennett threw his arms up in frustration. _Doing non-verbal magick is harder than getting Didi to wear pants! _Bennett shot at his mother.

_You are simply letting your frustration cloud your concentration. Find your focus. Release your magick. Pull it in towards yourself. And concentrate. _Mrs. Rosenberg replied mentally. She was just as frustrated as Bennett was and she was starting to feel as if she was beating a dead horse. She had been able to teach Vartan non-verbal magick a year ago when he was only 13. She just didn't understand why Bennett was so resistant to it.

_Yes Yoda _Bennett shot back, throwing his arms in front of his body again. Shutting out the sounds of the forest, the reverberating thought and emotional patterns emanating from his mother, and the presence of Semanti slithering high above their heads in the trees, Bennett closed his eyes and searched for his focus.

Normally, his focus was his lands but now that he had actually entered his lands, his focus has been shot and he had no clue as to what his new focus was. Delving into his mind, he peeled back layer after layer of thoughts and memories. One memory began to jump to the forefront of his mind- he had remembered he was supposed to meet Stiles at the movies in an hour and he was already 30 minutes away from town.

Concentrating on the magick now pulsing from his body, Bennett began pulling each thread back into himself, his mind solely on accomplishing this task so that he can hang out with his new friend. Bennett could feel the magick around him coalesce into his hands as he gave a mental shout of _GALADANTE!_

Light shot from his palms, colliding in the space between his hands, pulling itself into a sphere and hovering in the center of Bennett's hands. Strong pulses of light shot from the sphere, lighting up the forest in a brilliant display.

Bennett could feel his mother poking at his mind, trying to get his attention. Opening himself up to her words, he could hear her tell him to control the light. Reeling his magick in more, the light began to recede until a smaller orb hovered above the palm of his right hand. Bennett's black eyes looked over at his mother, standing in front of him with a smile on her face.

"Well it looks like you found your focus! Now make the light dissipate and then we can go." She said, turning around and gathering their stuff from the clearing.

Bennett focused on the orb and called his magick back into his body and the orb vanished into nothingness. Bennett's eyes began to turn back into their natural moss green.

The sun had already set and it was beginning to get dark as Bennett called for Semanti, who slithered down a tree and followed him into the car.

"Hey mom, if it's no trouble, could you drop me off at the movie theater, Stiles is waiting for me."

* * *

"Dude and the scene where he rips the guys face off was awesome! There was blood everywhere!" Stiles said animatedly. They were walking through the theater's parking lot to Stiles' jeep.

"My favorite part was when the chick with the huge tits thought she was safe and then she turned around and he got her through the mouth. Now, **that** was funny!" Bennett replied.

They continued the conversation until they got into the car, both filled with sugary cinema food and soda. After a while, the conversation tapered off and they were left in comfortable silence.

"Hey Stiles, can I ask you something?" Bennett asked, turning in his seat to look at Stiles, "you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Nah, it's cool, you can ask me anything."

"I know he's your best friend and everything but why do you let Scott treat you like that? Hell, why do let **anyone** treat you the way they do?" Bennett said sincerity in his eyes.

"Scott's been my friend for a long time and I know that lately he's been blowing me off but he's still my friend, y'know? A year ago when he was still dating Allison, I was there for him, when he was going through some tough shit a year and a half ago, I was there for him. I know he doesn't always return the favor, but we have history."

"I understand that, but Stiles, that's not the way friendship works. Friendship is about give and take but from what I've seen Scott only takes. Now I know I may not know much about your friendship since I've only been here a week, but in that week I've noticed things and I just have to say that I think you deserve better. You're a good guy."

Stiles knew on some level, Bennett was right but it was hard to explain. When Scott first moved here, Stiles was a social pariah and being new, Scott didn't know this and still befriended him. Then, as they got older Stiles started to realize Scott wanted more, he wanted to be popular but Stiles was content being invisible, it was what he was used to. After Allison showed up, Scott made the effort to join the Lacrosse team to gain popularity and Stiles felt he had to join just to keep his friend, so he did.

Stiles knew Bennett was right when he said Stiles gives too much of himself to people but Stiles also knew that other than loyalty and friendship, he had nothing else to offer. He admitted to himself that with Scott he was always "_Scott's friend, Stiles_", _"That weird guy, Stiles, who's always with Scott_", or even "_Stiles, who?!_" That's what he liked about hanging with Bennett; he only had to be _Stiles_.

"Ok, you've explained Scott, but why do you let my cousin treat you like that? I mean, come on Stiles, you have to know you're an attractive guy. There were at least 3 girls at the theater who were flirting with you. Why do you waste your time on my bratty cousin? I love her but you can do better."

Stiles paused for a minute before answering, "Honestly, when we were kids, I had genuine feelings for her. Even a year ago, I had genuine feelings for her but now, I don't know. I still like her and if ever she decided she wanted me, I would be there for her but it's like lately my feelings for her aren't as strong. Maybe I've only liked her because it's easier to crush over a girl I know I can't get than to be rejected by others, I don't know."

After 3 minutes of contemplative silence, Bennett was the first to speak. "Wow, things got a little deep there!" Bennett said, smiling at the events that had just played out. "I guess now is the point where we cry and braid each other's hair!"

Stiles looked over at Bennett for a minute, a similar smile on his face.

"Dude, I know! I don't even think I've talked like that with Scott in a long time."

"So, let's play a little game then to lighten the mood. It's called Kill, Fuck, or Marry!"

* * *

Bennett waved goodbye as Stiles pulled out of the driveway. Pulling out his keys and opening the door, Bennett walked into the dark, empty house. Grabbing a bottle of water before walking upstairs, Bennett could see a light on under Lydia's door. Knocking lightly and waiting for the affirmative, Bennett entered Lydia's bedroom. She was sitting crossed legged bent over a book, her hair falling like a curtain over her face.

"So how was your date?" She said seriously, pushing her hair over to one side.

"It was not a date Didi, Stiles is just a friend."

"I don't know, he spends a lot of time over here and you two hang out a lot. And you think he's cute." She replied, closing the book she was reading.

Bennett placed the bottle on her dresser as he padded over to the bed and sat down.

"Di, I can assure you, nothing is going on. Besides the fact he's in love with you, he's straight. On a more interesting note, what have you been up to today? I didn't see you afterschool."

With a smile forming on her lips, Lydia replied, "I'll ignore the fact that you didn't deny you think Stiles is cute and tell you that I had sex with Aiden today."

"What?!"

"Yea" she said, "I was walking to the parking lot to meet you guys when an arm pulls me into a classroom. My first instinct was to scream and punch until I saw who it was. We started making out and one thing led to another…."

"You little slut!" Bennett said in mock indignation, "Did you do that thing I taught you?"

"Bennett, that's gross!"

"Did you?!"

"Yes."

"That's my girl!"

* * *

The next day, Bennett was greeted early in the morning to the sight of Stiles' smiling face, arms laden with junk food and DVDs.

"Stiles, what are you doing here?" Bennett asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes, his hair in complete disarray, "it's 10 am on a Saturday."

Stiles' face nearly split in half as his smile broadened. "Well, after the movie the other night when we were in the car, I realized we don't know much about each other, so I thought I'd come over, we could pig out on candy and bullshit around. Plus Scott has to work all day and then he has to visit our friend Derek, so I'm all alone!"

Moving aside and walking up the stairs, Stiles took this as his cue to come in and follow Bennett. When they reached his bedroom, Bennett pulled the suitcase from under his bed, giving a pointed look at Stiles, who was throwing the items in his arms onto the bed, still smiling.

"Well since you've decided to grace me with your presence today, I guess I should at least look halfway decent….but really who are we kidding, I always look good."

"Dude, you look like that crazy redhead chick from that Disney movie!' Stiles said, snorting at Bennett's words, "So yea you look good, if you're into big red Yeti hairballs!"

Rolling his eyes and pulling out a black t-shirt and skinny jeans, Bennett flips Stiles off before closing the door to the bathroom.

Stiles waited until he could hear the cascade of running water before he stood up and looked around Bennett's room, eyes falling on the photos lining the nightstand. There were photos of Bennett in between two pretty, smiling girls, a photo of Bennett and his family, photos of Bennett as a child, and a photo of Bennett with his arm around a boy's shoulder. For some reason, Stiles didn't like this photo. It made his stomach drop and his blood boil. He didn't know why the photo upset him so much but he found himself laying it face down so he didn't have to see it.

_Why does it piss me off so much? _Stiles wondered. _It's not like he can't have other friends! I'm not jealous or anything. Come on Stiles! Get it together!_

Stiles wondered if maybe the boy was Bennett's boyfriend but that thought caused the feeling to flare up twofold.

_No, _he told himself_ if Bennett had a boyfriend, he would have told me! But why does it even matter to me? Why do I care so much? It's probably because I don't want this guy to hurt Bennett….yea, that's what it is._

Stiles' contemplation was broken when Bennett stepped out of the bathroom, vanilla-scented steam rising from the entryway.

"You seem awfully interested in my friends…" Bennett said, slicking back his hair. He was dressed and had pulled his long hair into a wet bun.

Jumping, Stiles turned and took Bennett in.

"Much better, that's the Bennett we all love!" Stiles threw his arm around Bennett's shoulder before poking him in the ribs.

"Stiles stop it!" Bennett said, a giggle escaping his lips despite his efforts, "What movies did you bring?"

* * *

"So you did it?!" Stiles asked, surprise written all over his face.

"Of course I did! He dared me to and I never turn down a dare!"

"Ok, so let me get this straight, your two best friends are Melanie and Skye…"

"And Robbie…" Bennett interjected.

"Robbie?" Stiles asked, a look of curiosity in his eyes.

"I think I have a photo…" Bennett said, crawling over his bed towards his nightstand. He and Stiles had been talking for hours now, the sun had already gone down, and the stars were twinkling high in the night sky. Bennett picked up the framed photo that was lying on its face and handed it to Stiles. "My friend Robbie. He's my best straight guy friend. Well, now I guess it's you as well."

Stiles looked at the photo he had flipped over earlier and surprisingly, the feeling didn't return. Knowing that Robbie was only a friend gave Stiles an odd sense of relief that even he couldn't explain.

"Oh, I thought he was your boyfriend?..."

Laughing Bennett replied, "No. Although there was one night our freshmen year when we both got drunk but he pussied out halfway through so it didn't get too far."

Curiosity again rose up in Stiles as he looked over at Bennett who was now placing the frame back within the group of photographs. "So….just wondering….are you a virgin?"

"No! I lost my virginity a year ago to this really hot guy I met in an Urban Outfitters. I know, classy right?" Bennett laughed, grabbing one of the gummy worms that had spilled out onto the bed. "Are you?"

Nervously, Stiles replied, "Yea, I am."

Bennett's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "What?! Really?!" Seeing the look on Stiles face, Bennett adjusted his face and swallowed the candy he was chewing. "I didn't mean it as a bad thing, it's just I'm surprised. You're, and I'm saying this as a friend, but Stiles, you're hot!"

Stiles didn't know why but Bennett calling him hot made a heat rise in his stomach and spread throughout his body. He could feel the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Dude, I knew it! It's just I asked Danny once and he never…..you know what, never mind." Stiles said, thinking back to when he asked Danny if he thought he was attractive. Stiles had told no one, not even Scott that lately he's been wondering what it would be like to be with another guy. The idea didn't repulse him but he also couldn't think of any guy he would want to be with. For a minute, he considered Danny but he soon realized that if he were into guys, Danny wasn't really his type. He had once considered Bennett as well but he knew he would never jeopardize their friendship with his thoughts of experimentation. His musing were interrupted as he realized Bennett was talking to him.

"…find you some hot slut and get you laid!" Bennett finished, taking a sip from the glass of juice on his nightstand.

Stiles looked over at the clock on his phone and realized it was almost midnight.

"Dude, I gotta go." Stiles said, pulling his sneakers on, "My dad will be home soon, I didn't make him anything for dinner, and I have to be up early for that stupid Cross Country meet tomorrow."

"Yea, I am a little tired seeing as I didn't sleep much." Bennett said, placing emphasis on the words so that Stiles knew he was blaming him.

"Oh shut up. Well, I'll probably see you on Monday. I would come over tomorrow but me and Scott are supposed to hang out after the meet."

"That's fine, besides I need some Stiles Detox." Bennett replied, smirking at Stiles' mock offended face.

"Trust me, you'll come crawling back….they always do."

* * *

"That depends, are you just following the bus, or are you planning on mounting it at some point?" Lydia said. She, Allison, and Bennett were in Allison's car driving down a long, dusty road behind the school bus driving Scott and Stiles to their Cross Country meet. Storm clouds could be seen darkening the horizon. Lydia was sitting in the front seat while Bennett was in the back seat, looking out the window and smiling at the predicament Lydia had dragged him into.

"Yea, I should back off" Allison replied, easing off the gas pedal, allowing the car to give the bus more space.

"That would also depends….do you mean the bus or the ex-boyfriend you're currently stalking?" Lydia said, sarcasm and genuine curiosity dripping from her every word.

Bennett who had been silent for most of the trip finally spoke up, "I hope you mean the bus cuz Scott is hot! I mean, have you seen his ass in jeans…yummy. You've got yourself a 'regulation hottie'. Now will someone please explain to me again, why I had to come?"

"Because," Lydia replied, rolling her eyes and readjusting herself in her seat to look at her cousin, "you're my cousin and I love you and I said so. Besides, it's Sunday morning and our moms are out all day, what else would you have done?!"

_Not sit here and listen to your annoying friend complain about a boy who's clearly still in love with her but who's too much of a mangy wolf bitch to do anything about it _Bennett thought to himself.

"So anyway….the boy or the bus" Lydia continued, turning back around and facing the road.

"Well, after what happened, I am not letting him out of my sight."

"Hmmmm."

"And by the way, this all happened when he came knocking at **my** door!"

"What?" Lydia asked, turning towards Allison.

Allison began telling Lydia about Scott's arrival the day before. He had came over with an arrow, accusing her of being somewhere she shouldn't have been. She then told them about how they then began to spar and ended up making out.

"So, let me get this straight, he was mad at you because he thinks you were somewhere with a bow and arrow?" Bennett asked, confusion dancing across his features. His window was open, so his long hair kept flying into his mouth.

"Yea basically, my family…..we're big hunters and I was doing a little solo hunting and I guess I got too close to where Scott was and almost hit his friend. Apparently the guy isn't the cute, cuddly type so Scott was just warning me not to piss him off." Allison said, glancing at Lydia.

"Wow, you 2 are more complicated than the ending of Vanilla Sky." Bennett replied. "I'll also ignore the fact that you said you were hunting a poor, defenseless animal in the middle of the woods."

"What are you, Greenpeace?" Allison said, smiling at Bennett's face in the rearview mirror as he finally gave up and tied his hair up.

"Actually, yes Rambo." Bennett replied, sticking his tongue out at her.

The three of them sat in easy silence, the radio softly playing a Top 40 song in the background. Bennett eventually decided to take a nap and positioned himself to lie across the backseat, his arm thrown across his eyes to protect him from the sun. Lydia took out her Thermodynamics homework and began reading, while Allison was lost in her own thoughts. After 30 minutes of this silence, Lydia finally puts her book down.

"So is that whole 'not letting him out of your sight' thing literal or more like a general rule?" She asked

"Why?"

"You're running on fumes." Lydia answered, looking down at the gas gauge on the dashboard and noticing they were on 'E'.

"Ugh!"

"Yea….and I'm pretty sure that bus holds a lot more gas than this Toyota." Lydia said in a condescending voice.

"Just great…." Bennett said from the backseat.

"What if we stop?" Allison asked

"Would it really be that big of a deal? So we lose them. We know where they're headed." Lydia replied, picking her book back up and nonchalantly highlighting a passage with her blue highlighter.

"You didn't see what happened."

"I know who started it…." Lydia said in a stage whisper.

"Is that what Aiden told you?" Allison asked in a similar tone of voice.

"….And I'm up." Bennett said, a smile on his face as he scoots closer and sticks his head between the girls. "This is gonna be good."

"Aiden? Whoooa!" Lydia replied laughing, "Hold on a second….is that why you invited me on this whole road trip thing?...Oh my gosh, you're keeping an eye on them **and** me."

"So there's nothing going on between you two?" Allison said, accusation in her voice.

"I'm appalled by the insinuation!"

"Nothing?"

"Nothing." Lydia said, giving a pointed look at Bennett. He knew what that look meant.

Snorting, Bennett laid back down to his previous position. "Well then, that's my cue to go back to sleep."

_Yea…nothing happened…and my Cher impersonation __**isn't **__best thing you've seen at the Badlands Bar on a Thursday night…_

* * *

They had been stuck in traffic for roughly 45 minutes when Stiles called Lydia. Lydia had finished her homework and she and Allison were catching up on the latest school gossip. Bennett had been dosing in the backseat when Stiles called, the ringing of the phone waking him from his light slumber. He continued to listen with his eyes closed as Stiles told Lydia to put him on speakerphone and that he was aware they had been following them. Lydia looked into the backseat to make sure Bennett was still sleeping before putting Stiles on speakerphone.

_"Ok look, Scott's still hurt." _He said through the phone's speaker.

"What do you mean _still_? He's not healing?" Allison asked, concern in her voice.

_"No, he's not healing. I think he's getting worse; the blood's turning like a black color."_

"What's wrong with him?" Lydia asked.

"_What's wrong with him? I don't know. Do I have a PhD in Lycanthropy? How am I supposed to know that?"_

"We need to get him off the bus." Allison replied.

* * *

Stiles had found a way to get the bus to stop and they pulled into a rest stop not far off the road. When they saw Scott and Stiles file off the bus, Allison got out of the car to help Stiles take him into the bathroom. Lydia poked Bennett to tell him they had to stop for a minute and Bennett mumbled to her incoherently and rolled over, his body facing the back of the car seat. Although he appeared to be asleep, Bennett had heard everything and his mind was racing.

_I have to do something _he thought _I hate that mutt and his whole trampy pack but he's still a living creature who will die if I don't help him. Even worse, if he died, Stiles would be devastated._

Rolling back over onto his back, Bennett closed his eyes and opened his mind. Even though they were no longer on his lands, he could feel the magick of Beacon Hills slowly trickle into his being. He's eyes began to darken as the world around him shifted, making his stomach flip flop and climb into his throat. The wind outside began to stop and the noise of the road faded away until there was nothing left but all encompassing silence. The type of empty silence that seems to push down on your soul.

Bennett could feel his astral form pull itself from his body as he sat up in the back of the car and walked right through the door. His environment looked exactly as it did in the real world but all of the colors were muted and washed out, save for the glowing auras emanating from every human in sight.

As Bennett began walking around, he sees Lydia and Stiles leave the bathroom and wait by the school bus, so Bennett turns and walks towards the rest stop bathrooms. Walking through the walls, he comes across Allison bent over an unconscious Scott, her yellow-orange aura pulsating wildly as she's trying to thread a needle to patch Scott up. Bennett could see no aura coming from Scott but this was no surprise to him as wolves' auras cannot be seen by witches.

What was strange about the scene was that Allison was not alone. Bennett could see a woman with short, crimson hair berating Allison who seemed to be falling apart. Bennett didn't know who the woman was but he knew the feeling she gave him. It was a cold, creeping dread that moved through his form and sent a chill through it. A feeling that screamed of nothingness and a hollow emotion. Her stale gray aura told him that this was not a human she was talking to. Allison was communicating with a shade.

_"Ok, how do we approach a situation like this?"_ the shade said, her voice taking on a soothing quality. _"Allison!"_ she snapped when it appeared Allison was falling further into herself.

"Clinically."

_"And…"_

"Unemot…unemotionally."

"_Then stop crying and do it!"_

Allison closed her eyes and steadied her breath. Her light orange aura began to turn green around the edges, forcing the yellow back, spots of blue beginning to spill out in between the green.

Opening her eyes and taking a deep breath, Allison pushed the thread through the needle and began stitching up Scott's wound. When she was finished, the wound was patched up but it still wasn't healing and he appeared to have stopped breathing.

Bennett, who had been watching this scene unfold, finally moved from the spot he had been standing in. Moving over to Allison, who was trying to wake him up, Bennett bent down and placed his hands above Scott's wounds. He could not only feel but actually see the magick swirling around him and going into his hands. It had a bright red color to it and it moved liked smoke drifting into a fog, present but just out of reach. Closing his eyes, Bennett searched for the words that would help Scott heal.

"_Elessore…Elesshroa…Elessino…Elessfea" _Bennett chanted, his hands glowing white as he wove the spell around Scott's prone form. He could feel parts of himself being taken into Scott, helping him heal from the inside out.

Bennett continued ignoring Allison as she tried to wake Scott up as he continued chanting the spell, the light growing stronger until finally it began to recede and the magick disappeared into the air.

Bennett was exhausted; he could feel his physical body pulling him back, no longer able to keep his insubstantial form going. He looked down at his hands as they began to disappear, ghostly limbs pulling back in the direction of his body. He looked over to Scott's body as his being was being taken away, snatched from this realm by his own limits. The last thing he saw before waking up in the backseat of Allison's car was Scott catching his breath, gasping life back into his body as his eyes open and takes in Allison's face.

"It's my fault."

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

So what did you think? I hadn't actually planned on throwing in a little romance/confused feelings just yet but I basically let it all write itself.

I also did NOT make up the The Witch's Language. It's actually Tolkien's Elvish, Galadante, the Illumination Spell translated means 'Light Giver". Elessore means "heal mind", Elesshroa means "heal body", Elessino means "heal heart", and Elessfea means "heal soul".

I hope Bennett's inclusion in the road trip scene didn't feel forced! I would love feedback on how you like the story and any ideas on where you think the story should go cuz I don't really plan anything out until I see the actual episode since unlike Bennett, I cannot see the future.

More to come!


	4. Chapter 4- Hotel California

**WARNING:** I will warn you, most of this chapter is scenes from the show so don't yell at me for not putting too much original writing in this one but I PROMISE you, it makes sense when you read it. I've written the scenes in a way so that it's still interesting to read even though you saw it on the show. This is also the first chapter to feature a sexual situation. It's my first time writing sex (or anything close to it) so I'm sorry if it turned out bad.

**CHAPTER 4- MOTEL CALIFORNIA**

_Brrrrrrrrngggg! Brrrrrrrrngggg! Brrrrrrrrngggg!_

"Hello", Nathan Harris said pushing his long dark hair back. He had been sitting in traffic watching the car in front of him. Inside, there were three teenagers, two girls and a boy, roughly the same age as his own daughter. A week ago, he had been tasked with following the boy, waiting for the signal he was told would come.

_"It is time."_ The voice on the other end said. The caller's voice was hard and raspy. It sent a chill down his spine and made him shiver. _"I have insured they will pull over. When they do, use the syringe I gave you and inject the boy with it."_

"I just want to know why I'm doing this. What's in the syringe? Will it kill the boy?" Nathan asked, reaching into his glove box for the case the syringe was held in. He was genuinely concerned with the welfare of the boy. Watching him the last week, he saw the boy had a good life and he didn't want to be the cause of his death.

_"All you need to know is that the boy is instrumental in the next phase of my plans. The mixture in the syringe will not kill him. It contains equal parts of liquefied vervain and wolfsbane."_

"What will it do to him?"

_"If you must know, the vervain will stunt the witch's healing ability and the wolfsbane will allow me to take care of some unwanted pests."_

"Look, all I want is to talk to my family. I just need to know they're ok." Nathan pleaded. He hadn't seen them since the night the hooded figure appeared in his bedroom to give him this insane task. At first he thought it was crazy when the stranger began speaking of rituals, wolves, and witches but since watching the boy, he began to question many things.

_"No, you will see your family when you do what I have asked you to do. I have already killed your brother. Do you want them to be next?!"_

"No. Ok, I'll do it. I'll let you know when…" But the man on the other end had already hung up.

A minute later, the car in front of him began to move and soon after, he was pulling up behind them into a roadside rest stop. The two girls climbed out of the car and headed towards a school bus but the boy didn't appear. In fact, he couldn't see his head in the backseat.

_Ok Nathan, just get out, stick the kid, and you can get your family back. Easy. He said the kid won't die from this shit so you have no reason to feel guilty about it._

Taking a deep breath, Nathan opened the car door and brushed his sweaty hands across his blue jeans. He bent over and took the case from the car's seat and opening it, took the syringe out before closing the car door.

Nathan took steady steps towards the car, chanting a mantra in his head: _you can do this Nathan, you can do this Nathan, you can do this Nathan….._

When Nathan made it to the car, he looked through the window of the backseat and inside he saw the boy lying down asleep. With furtive glances, Nathan carefully opened the door and climbed over the boy's prone form. The boy's breathing was very shallow as Nathan slowly lifted the sleeve of the black shirt the boy was wearing.

Time seemed to tick by slowly and Nathan was practically turning blue from holding his breath. He felt as if he breathed too hard, the boy would wake up and his family would be doomed.

_Kid, I am so sorry…_

Nathan carefully inserted the needle into the boy's arm and pushed the plunger down, watching the clear liquid slowly disappear into the boy's arm. Nathan watched as the boy's veins began to turn a bright blue color before disappearing and his breathing began to speed up.

Nathan quickly pulled away from the boy, closed the door and still glancing around, hastily made his way back to his car. He was out of breath as his climbed back in and shut the door.

Resting his head against the steering wheel and taking several more calming breaths, Nathan reached into his pocket and dialed the number that would end this nightmare.

"It's done" he said when he heard the person on the other end pick up, "can I talk to them now?"

But Nathan got no response as the one he called hung up.

Little did Nathan know, his family was already dead and soon he would be too.

* * *

Bennett's eyes shot open and he took in his surroundings. He remembered that he was still lying in the back seat of Allison's car at the rest stop. He had just returned to his body after astral projecting. It had begun to get dark when Lydia poked her head in to tell him they would be catching a ride with the Cross Country team.

_I can't believe I just saved Scott McCall's life. I can't believe I saved a __**wolves **__life._

Even though he wasn't particularly fond of Scott or the wolves, he knew that if he had let Scott die when he had the power to help, it would be no different than if he had killed Scott himself. He also knew that Stiles would be a mess if he lost another person he cared for.

Bennett felt like he had been hit by a truck; his head was spinning, his eyes burned, and his mouth was incredibly dry. He quickly pulled his phone from his pocket to tell his mother that he wouldn't be home before climbing out of the car and heading towards the school bus.

As Bennett made his way towards the bus, a dizzy feeling began to overcome him. He could feel sweat beginning to bead up across his pale flesh and his hands were practically vibrating as he climbed the stairs onto the bus. The room was spinning as he walked down the aisle towards his friends in the back. When he was standing next to Boyd, like a puppet being pulled by strings, Bennett couldn't control the spike of magick that shot from his body. He couldn't stop the wave of energy that poured from his pores and assaulted Boyd. And he couldn't halt his words as he opened his mouth and whispered in Boyd's ear.

"_Le selma enyalli ucare has. Her oransa!"_

The instant he uttered those words, Bennett could feel his magick snap back into his body and he was able to move again. Muttering a "sorry" in Boyd's direction, Bennett made his way to the back of the bus where Lydia, Allison, Stiles, and Scott were sitting and plopped himself down into a seat. The others were chattering away but the only thoughts that were running through Bennett's mind were questions; one question in particular.

_What the hell is going on with me?!_

The cold feeling settling in the pit of his stomach told him he didn't want to know the answer to his question and a voice, much louder than his own, was screaming that the night had only just begun.

* * *

…a bunch of degenerates like yourselves. You'll be pairing up. Choose wisely." Coach Finstock screamed, standing in front of the crowd of teenagers. "And I'll have no sexual perversions perpetrated by you little deviants, you got that?! Keep your dirty little hands, to your dirty little selves!"

The meet had been postponed so they were all now forced to sleep at a scummy motel- The Motel Glen Capri. Each person began filing up to the coach and grabbing a key from his hand. Stiles and Scott, Lydia and Allison, Isaac and Boyd, and Ethan and Danny all roomed together, leaving Bennett the only one without a roommate.

"Uhh..coach, I don't have a room." He said, crossing his arms across his chest and glaring at Stiles who sent an apologetic look and shrugged shoulders back at him.

"Well Rosenberg, don't look at me. You're not my type. JARED!" Coach Finstock yelled to Jared's retreating back. "You're rooming with Bennett!"

"Great," Bennett replied, looking over at the boy who was sick hours ago "I get to sleep next to Chunks all night."

When they entered the room and threw their things down, Bennett turned to Jared.

"Are you ok? Cuz I would prefer if your little Exorcist routine didn't have an encore."

At this Jared looked over at Bennett, a look of disgust on his face. "Listen faggot, I don't want you looking at me while I change and you better stay over on your side of the room. I don't wanna catch whatever the hell it is you've got." He sneered.

"Well well well, looks like Mr. Kirk Cameron over here has shown his true colors! You weren't so bold when you were giving bulimics a run for their money on the bus an hour ago!" Bennett replied, raking his fingers through his tangled hair.

"Everyone else just sits around and accepts the fact that all you little homos are just multiplying all over the place and we're all supposed to just be ok with that shit?! No. Just keep away from me." Jared said, turning his back towards Bennett. "And don't look at my ass."

Rolling his eyes, Bennett fell onto his bed. "I'll try and contain myself Michelle Bachmann. How about you just sit over there in your little corner and pray to your gods- Hitler, Eminem, and Anita Bryant. I have better things to do than breathe your bigot air."

Jared's only reply was a mumbled "disgusting faggot" before taking his bag and going into the bathroom. Bennett had to resist every urge in his body not to injure the boy but he knew it would do no good. Jared's words didn't hurt Bennett, he had heard them his whole life, it was just the whole situation that had taken him by surprise. He had always wondered why everyone at this school was so strangely tolerant of the gays who went there.

_I won't physically hurt him, _Bennett thought to himself, _I would feel like shit about it afterwards._

With that thought, inspiration struck Bennett. Opening his channels and allowing his magick to spill out, Bennett raised his finger towards the closed bathroom door, his green eyes turning black.

_Fuisinna!_ Bennett muttered as his magick shot from his body and into the bathroom. Almost immediately, a loud groan could be heard followed by the unmistakable sound of Jared releasing his bowels violently into the toilet.

Twenty minutes later Jared was still in the bathroom when there was a knock on the door. Smiling, Bennett got up and opened the door, the sight of Stiles' smiling face on the other end.

"I know you're mad at me and dude, I'm sorry, but I haven't gotten to hang out with Scott in a long time!" Stiles said, giving Bennett his best puppy dog look.

Sighing, Bennett moved to the side giving Stiles a silent invitation.

"Actually," Stiles said "I'm going on a snack run, wanna come with?"

"Yea, sure." Bennett replied, slipping his boots on.

Stiles and Bennett walked downstairs to the vending machine, Bennett recounting his encounter with Jared.

"Dude, I didn't know he was such an asshole." Stiles replied, rummaging in his pockets for change. "Hey, there's Boyd! Yo!"

Boyd was staring blankly at the vending machine, his eyes holding no recognition of his surroundings. Upon their approach, he began slowly punching in the numbers of his selection, continuing to ignore the pair.

"Hey, that was the same thing I was gonna get." Stiles smiled, looking over at Boyd's blank expression. The coil in the machine slowly twisted as the peanut butter crackers Boyd chose got stuck.

"Oh. Hang on; I got a patented method for this. Don't worry." Stiles replied. Before Stiles could demonstrate it, Boyd punched the glass and grabbed the crackers, bringing the coil with him. Stiles and Bennett just stood there watching him as he walked away.

"What the hell was that?!" Bennett asked, reaching in and grabbing snacks from the broken machine.

"I have no clue." Stiles replied, grabbing his own snacks. "But maybe he should leave the decaf alone."

Bennett chuckled as they made their way back up the stairs. When they reach Stiles' door, the feeling he had on the bus began to creep back into Bennett. The hallway began to spin and Bennett could feel himself losing balance.

"Whoa dude! We need to get you in bed! Scott! Open the door!" Stiles said, pounding on the door and getting no answer. "Shit!"

Stiles hefted Bennett up and wrapped his arm over his shoulders as he half-carried, half-dragged a groaning Bennett to his own room. When they got to the door, Stiles twisted the knob and threw Bennett onto the bed.

"Go Stiles, I'll be fine, I just need to sleep." Bennett said, trying to get Stiles away from him. He could feel himself slipping out of consciousness and it was taking all of his strength not to let it go. The edges of his vision were darkening and he knew he couldn't hold it back much longer.

"No, I'm staying here. You need me."

Knowing he was fighting a losing battle, Bennett closed his eyes and opened his mind, releasing a small amount of magick and directing it at Stiles. Connecting their minds, Bennett whispered a command into Stiles' consciousness, his face temporarily going slack.

_Stiles, leave this room right now. You will remember me healthy. You will remember dropping me off and going back to your room._

Stiles robotically opened the door and walked back into his room as Bennett began slipping into unconsciousness and darkness claimed his mind.

* * *

There were many things in the world Isaac Lahey didn't know. He didn't know if Derek was dead or alive, he didn't know why he was trapped in this dirty hotel room, and he didn't know that Bennett Rosenberg's astral form had just entered his room. Bennett was completely invisible to Isaac; undetected even by his wolf senses. If Isaac had seen Bennett, he would have seen the way Bennett's lifeless eyes glowed a bright purple. He would have seen his form move towards him. He would have seen when Bennett leaned over him and whispered the words _"Le turava edraith cin vanwie. Enyal ullume!"_

Bennett's magick took instant effect on Isaac. His eyes grew dim, his mind began to cloud, and he felt himself fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

One minute, Boyd was getting off of the school bus to enter the motel they were staying at for the night, and the next minute he found himself standing with an ice bucket in his hands. He vaguely remembered talking to Stiles and Bennett and he could almost recall telling Isaac he was going to grab ice but now, standing in front of the freezer, he had no real clue why he was there.

_ "Her oransa!"_

Boyd spun around, thinking he heard a voice behind him. The voice sounded familiar but he couldn't place the voice with a face. Shaking off the encounter, he continued on to the freezer, opening the door and filling the ice bucket. He had the oddest taste in his mouth, almost like the taste of pennies. _Weird _he thought to himself.

_ "Don't…don't leave me…"_

Boyd could hear the voice again. This voice was different from the first and it was coming from the freezer. Facing scrunching in confusion, Boyd began moving the ice around, searching for the voice.

_ "You weren't supposed to leave me…"_

Boyd knew that voice. It was the same voice that had haunted his dreams for years. It was Alicia's voice. _But she's dead! _He rationalized with himself. Boyd continued moving the ice around and he could see a form under the ice.

"Alicia?!"

_ "Why did you leave me?"_

"Alicia?"

Finally moving all of the ice, Boyd could clearly see a face. It was Alicia's face. Boyd gave a start when he saw the body of the girl he long believed was dead. She looked so peaceful lying in this icy coffin.

Boyd jumped back in surprise when he realized the girl's eyes were open and staring right at him. Dropping the bucket, Boyd ran as far away from the freezer as his strong legs could take him. Far away from the memory. Far away from the blame. The only thing Boyd could do was run.

* * *

_"Enyal ullume!"_

Isaac's eyes opened to the sound of footsteps. He didn't remember ever going to sleep but he found himself lying on the motel bed, distant footfalls drifting through the air. A sense of familiarity flared up in his body, memories of a past he believed long gone festering in his mind.

"Boyd?" he asked, eyes grazing across the empty room. He could hear the pattering of rain and the rumble of thunder just outside the window but when he looked outside, the dark sky held no signs of a storm.

Closing his eyes, Isaac began to realize the sounds he thought were thunder and rain, had a metallic clink to them. It actually sounded like chains were rattling, the sound growing louder and louder.

Lifting himself from the bed, Isaac frantically looked around the room for the origins of the sounds when he heard a voice that made his blood run cold.

_"Hand me the 7/16__th__ wrench… what the hell, this is the 9/16__th, __you moron! You know what the difference between a 7 and a 9 is dumbass…" _the voice of his father echoed through the room.

Isaac may not have remembered much of tonight, but he did remember the night his father had asked him for the wrench, the words rolling off his tongue as he recalled that night.

"You know the difference between a 7 and a 9...it's a stripped bolt." Isaac replied, hearing the words as if they had happened yesterday and not years ago. His heart was racing and he had a faint metallic taste in his mouth. His breath began to hitch. He knew what was coming next.

_ "A stripped bolt…"_

"I'm sorry…I didn't…" Isaac began, the encounter replaying itself in his mind. "What do you want me to do?"

_"I want you to shut up…"_

"I want you to shut up… shut up… shut up! What can I do? I can't fix this now! I can't fix this now!" Isaac could feel himself losing control; he could feel the tears prickling in the corners of his eyes, threatening to spill out. But mostly he could feel the terror; a fear he long since tried to bury. "I can't fix it… fix it..."

_"I can't even close it now…grab the chain…"_

"What?!" Isaac replied to the phantom voice. "Get in, I said get in. Get in."

_"Did you hear me boy?! I said get in the damn freezer!..."_

As if an invisible force lifted him, Isaac was thrown onto his back on top of the bed, panic racing through his veins. He pulled his pillow over his head, hoping to shut the sounds out and for a moment, Isaac believed he had. All was silent as Isaac pulled the pillow away from his head, turning over to lie on his back.

He was trapped. The grungy hotel room was gone, replaced by the one thing that was guaranteed to stop this wolf in his tracks. He was back in the freezer. The freezer his father kept him locked up in the basement of their house. And as the lid closed down on him all Isaac could do was scream.

* * *

Bennett walked through the motel, blank eyes still fiercely glowing an eerie purple. He had just left Isaac's room and he was on his way towards his next victims. He didn't know why he was doing this. He wasn't even aware of the situation at all. His astral body was being moved against his own will and tomorrow he wouldn't remember any of it.

He made his way across the parking lot to Scott and Stiles' room. On the way, his lifeless eyes glanced at the sign hanging behind the counter of the reception desk reading "198". Lifting his hand up and feeling along the lines of his magick, Bennett accessed his power and flipped the sign until it read "201". With a ghostly smile, Bennett continued on his way. He still had work left to do.

* * *

Scott was in the bathroom washing his face when he heard the familiar ringtone of his phone. Walking over to the bed, he picked it, glancing at his mother's name illuminated on the tiny screen.

"Hey mom, what's up?" He asked. He could hear nothing but static on the other end. When his mother's voice finally came through the phone, she was speaking in a language Scott didn't recognize.

_"I amar nacin athrad anmorco. Lant nuinyes!" _She replied, her voice having an odd overlapping quality to it, as if 2 people were talking at once.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Scott asked, the static instantly clearing up. He could hear her sniffling on the other end. Concern welled up in Scott like a tidal wave. He hated to hear his mom cry, something he used to hear a lot of when he was a child. She would try to do it late at night when she thought he was asleep but he could still hear her. That same pain and sympathy he had back then struck him hard in his heart, a metallic flavor working across his tastebuds.

_"I'm sorry; he just came into the house. I tried to stop him. I'm sorry…"_

"Who? Mom-mom, where are you?" He replied. _Who would do this to my mother _he wondered.

_"Outside. Look outside."_

Scott turned and headed towards the window on the other side of the room, pushing aside the dingy white curtains hanging from its frame. Outside, he could see his mother being held captive by Deucalion, his claws set against her throat, the threat of decapitation hanging in the air.

_"Scott, can you hear me?" _Deucalion asked, his voice reverberating back at Scott through the cell phone.

"What do you want?

_"Isn't it obvious? You're an alpha now Scott."_

"I'm not, Derek- Derek could still be alive, he could..he could.."

_"Derek is dead. You know he is so now I'm coming for you. You and everyone you love. I'm coming for all of them!"_ Deucalion pronounced, sliding his clawed hands across Ms. McCall's neck, ripping her throat out. She clutched uselessly at her throat as her body collapsed underneath itself. All Scott could do was watch.

* * *

Bennett walked through Scott's door, his power flaring around him like a cape. He had just cast a spell on Scott; the same spell he had cast on Boyd and Isaac. The spell was designed specifically for each one of them and it was made to kill them. Bennett's body was still in his room, sleeping peacefully but his consciousness was on another plane, using magick like a parlor trick and making the wolves suffer. The Darach knew he could never end the wolves himself so he enlisted the aid of the witch. But he was also aware the witch would never do it willingly so he devised a plan to use him to get what the Darach wanted and so far, all had worked out perfectly. The Darach had never anticipated that Bennett's innate hatred towards the wolves would cause him to exact vengeance on all of them. Even the wolf that wouldn't have otherwise been a problem. Wolfsbane is such wonderful thing.

* * *

Ethan was finally getting what he wanted. He had been waiting two weeks now to hook up with Danny but Danny had always insisted they wait. Something about tonight, though, made Danny throw caution to the wind and indulge in his own carnal needs.

Ethan was on top of Danny, straddling his muscular form as their tongues was locked in battle, each wanting to win and dominate. They were both shirtless and could both feel their hardness pressed against each other, eliciting moans from their mouths. Danny groaned as Ethan pushed his large bulge harder into Danny's. The room was hot and stuffy and their jeans were the only barrier between them and Nirvana.

_"Le belthlihud. Hi hain selma belthle!"_

Ethan froze, glancing at Danny's red, swollen lips before looking into his brown eyes. Everything in Ethan wanted him to ravage Danny's willing body and claim it for himself but there was something that was off and Ethan could feel it.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, pushing Danny down as he attempted to crush their lips back together.

"No." Danny replied, wrapping his hand around Ethan's neck, reuniting their lips in a fiery display.

Ethan's hand danced across Danny's supple pecs lightly teasing his brown nipples eliciting a throaty moan from Danny, his grip tightening around Danny's neck. Ethan moved away from his lips, kissing his way along Danny's jaw line to his neck, causing Danny to throw his head back and arch into the touch as Ethan attacked his neck with fervor.

As Ethan's hands continued downward, so did his tongue, licking its way across Danny's large chest, nipping and biting Danny's nipples. Danny raked his fingers through Ethan's short hair, pushing him further down his chest, silently asking Ethan to take him to new heights. It had been too long for both of them and they were ready to express themselves vigorously. The instant Ethan's fingers touched the button on Danny's jeans, a sharp, intense pain shot through him, climbing up his spine in a symphony of torturous needles.

"What? What's wrong?" Danny asked when Ethan pulled back from him, pain etched in his face.

"Nothing, just give me a minute." Ethan replied, climbing off of Danny, discreetly adjusting himself as he quickly went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Ethan ran to the mirror, checking himself over. He could feel something inside of him, trying to claw its way out. It almost felt like it did when he and his brother merged but much more painful. It reminded him of when they first learned they could merge into one person, that first time when they passed out because it had hurt so much. But that was a long time ago. When they still had a real pack. When they still had a real family.

Spitting into the sink to rid his mouth of the metallic taste in it, Ethan continued giving himself a once over. The pain came back three times worse and glancing in the mirror, Ethan could see a hand and a face stretching across his stomach, trying to push itself through his skin. Ethan quickly ran out of the bathroom, grabbing his shirt and mumbles a quick explanation to a bewildered Danny before racing out of the door. One thought on his mind. A thought to carve the beast out of him. And all that was left for Ethan to do is find a knife.

* * *

Bennett had just finished casting the spell on Ethan. The spell that would make Ethan try to end his own life. He was done. The task the Darach implanted in him was complete and the only thing left was to return to his body, completely unaware of the role he played that night.

Bennett could feel his body beckoning his soul back to it, urging them to return to being whole again. Bennett slowly made his way back towards his room, his purple eyes beginning to lose most of their glow as he silently walked through each room to his own, the patrons unaware of the specter. The patrons of the motel had been unaware of a lot of things, especially the many shades that were tied to this macabre motel. Some wandered, some screamed, but most replayed their deaths over and over again.

When Bennett finally made it to his body, he leaned over expecting to be pulled back in but something was stopping him. An invisible force was keeping him from his body. Bennett could feel himself being pulled back in the direction he had just come from, ordering his body towards unknown parts.

Bennett arrived to the deserted motel room just as Stiles and Lydia stopped Ethan from gutting himself with the handsaw, the spell on Ethan breaking when he ran into the space heater. Bennett could feel the power binding him and Ethan together break as well, the spell unraveling before his very eyes. Bennett watched as Stiles, Lydia, and Allison ran from the room. And the only thing that was left for Bennett to do was wait.

* * *

This is where they all were. Scott, still under Bennett's spell, stood in a puddle of gasoline, a burning flare in his hands, ready to fall at any moment. Stiles, Allison, and Lydia had successfully broken the spells over the other three wolves, slowly loosening the bindings that kept Bennett from returning to his body. Bennett was standing behind Scott, whispering in his ear, repeating the spell that would accomplish the Darach's task. Stiles stood in front of Scott, trying to convince him to stop. Lydia and Allison stood away from the scene, fear all over their faces.

"Scott, just listen to me," Stiles said, tears in his eyes. He hated seeing Scott like this; he knew this wasn't Scott talking. "You're not no one, ok? You're someone. Scott, you're my best friend and I need you. Scott, you're my brother, alright? So if we're gonna do this, you're gonna just have to take me with you."

They were all crying as Stiles reached towards Scott and pulled the flare from his hands, throwing it to the ground away from the gasoline. Bennett could feel his powers fading; he could feel the Darach's control over him fading as well. The Wolfsbane was beginning to wear off. In a last ditch effort, the Darach commanded Bennett to finish it. _Finish it all!_

Violet eyes flaring, Bennett reached his hand out, aimed at the flare on the ground still emitting fire.

_"Laume edraith!" _Bennett yelled, calling the wind to his command. Even though there was no wind on the astral plane, he could see the red wisps of mist that was his magick urging the wind in the real world to bow to him. He was still slipping away and with one last push, he commanded the wind to push the flare into the gas and the wind obeyed, instantly engulfing Bennett and the boys in flames.

Bennett could see through the flames that Lydia had pushed Stiles and Scott out of the kerosene before it ignited. He could see Lydia staring right at him through the inferno. He could see her confusion. He could see her fear. He could see darkness….

* * *

Bennett was jolted awake by the sound of Coach Finstock banging on the door of his motel room. He glanced around the room, seeing Jared curled in the fetal position on his bed, his skin even paler than it was the night before. The memory of the curse he placed on him last night made Bennett smile.

"Rise and shine savages! Time to hit the road!" the coach screamed walking to the next door and repeating the action.

Bennett felt terrible. He couldn't understand how he was so exhausted when he had a full night's rest. He felt a weariness that seemed to penetrate his soul and there was a coppery metallic taste on his lips. He reluctantly pulled himself from the bed and made his way to the bathroom, ready to take on a day that had already seemed way to long.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

First lemme say that the last scene where Lydia sees Bennett in the fire, Bennett is not the Darach. Lydia just happened to see the Darach instead of Bennett. I also think the show should just jump on my witch bandwagon cuz it easily explains how she's immune to the bite and how she keeps seeing and hearing things no one can. Just saying. If it happens, I called it.

This chapter threw me a curveball! I thought it was gonna be another day but it turned out to be a continuation of the last episode. The hard part came because most of the scenes in this episode had the characters talking about the wolves and past events and these are things Bennett isn't supposed to know about but I had to find a way to put him in the scenes.

What confused me was that I know Wolfsbane causes hallucinations but they all seemed like they were being controlled, which is why I had Bennett the one controlling them instead of the Darach. And if it was the coach's whistle why wasn't everyone on the bus affected, including the coach who would have probably inhale some of it?

I decided to make Jared (the boy who vomited on the bus) a homophobe because it always bothered me that everyone at Beacon Hills was SO tolerant of Danny and Ethan *cough*and Stiles/Derek*cough*. That's just not realistic.

TRANSLATIONS:

_Le selma enyalli ucare has. Her oransa! _(Boyd's curse)- You will pay for your failures. Take responsibility!

_Fuisinna! _(Jared's curse)- Be disgusted by this!

_Le turava edraith cin vanwie. Enyal ullume! _(Isaac's curse)- You cannot escape your past. Never forget!

_I amar nacin athrad anmorco. Lant nuinyes! _(Scott's curse)- The world is your cross to bear. Fall under it!

_Le belthlihud. Hi hain selma belthle! _(Ethan's curse)- You killed your pack. Now they will kill you!

_Laume edraith!_- No escape!


	5. Chapter 5- Currents

**CHAPTER 5- CURRENTS**

Bennett pulled his black t-shirt over his head, pushing his long braid back and grabbing his rings from the bowl on his nightstand. It had been 3 days since the incident at the motel and Bennett hadn't been able to sleep much. He had another vision last night of a woman in a car. She had been attacked by an eclipse of moths. The difference this time is that Bennett had seen a face. An old, gnarled face in her backseat, grinning his haggard smile as he killed her. Bennett pulled himself out of his thoughts and made his way downstairs to the kitchen where he found his mother, her long red hair pulled up into a topknot. She was wearing her black tracksuit which only meant one thing.

"I called your school. You're not going today. Today you are training and… leave the rings." She said not looking up from the sketches in front of her.

"Mom, how am I ever going to graduate if you pull me out of school whenever you think I need to train? Not very responsible parental behavior, Joan Crawford." Bennett said, grabbing an apple from the refrigerator before replacing it and grabbing a pop-tart from the box on the counter instead.

"I don't like it either but with your latest vision, it's clear you need to be more prepared. The Darach is very powerful and we can't stop him if you're not strong enough."

Somewhere in the recesses of Bennett's mind, a chord was struck at the name "Darach" that made his heart race and his head spin. His stomach dropped as he tried to clear his mouth of the dry feeling that had suddenly overtaken him.

_Why did that name cause me to feel like this? I don't even know what a Darach is!_

"How do you know what he is?" Bennett asked, rubbing his sweaty palms against his black jeans.

"A friend of mine is in 'the know' and he's told me that our culprit is a Darach. It's a type of dark druid. If you remember druids from your studies, they're cousins to witches and a dark druid is their equivalent to our warlocks. Now, we'll talk about this more later but we've got to go."

"Yes Mommy Dearest."

* * *

They both stood in the familiar field they always went to when they trained. The bright morning sunshine filtered through the leaves, giving the space an emerald glow. Bennett stood on one side of the clearing, 3 large bowls in front of him. The first bowl contained clear water, the second was filled with dirt, and the last one had sticks and leaves piled inside of it.

"Today, we're going to practice your control over the elements." Alyssa Rosenberg said, walking over to Bennett's side. "And since I don't have personal experience on the matter, I called around and gathered some information on how to do this."

"Information?" Bennett asked, turning towards his mother.

"Well as you know, you're one of about 20 witches in the world who can command the elements. From what I gather, elemental control is different from non-verbal magick as non-verbal magick uses thought and elemental control uses emotion. Each element apparently has its own "personality" and as the master, you have to make them abandon their predilections and listen to what you have to say."

"If there are 4 elements, why are there only 3 bowls?" Bennett inquired.

Rolling her eyes, Alyssa replied. "Because one of the elements- wind, cannot be contained in a bowl since it's all around you. Now from what I understand, water is the easiest element to command so try and focus your magick on the bowl with the water and first command it to move."

"Ok Obi-Wan Kenobi, here goes nothing." Bennett said, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. He opened his mind and sent his magick towards the bowl of water. Almost instantly he could feel the connection there. The water made him feel cool and calm, a serene feeling falling over him.

_Move! _He commanded but the water just continued to move on its own accord. If he listened closely, he could almost hear the water telling him no. Brushing off the calm feeling, Bennett ordered it to move again with more authority in his voice but the water still refused to move.

_We prefer to just stay stagnant and relax…_

_ But I am your master and I command you to move. _Bennett said to the lilting, giggling voices he could hear in his head.

_We do not have a master, witch-boy. We are our own masters…_

Growling in frustration, Bennett opened his eyes meeting his mother's concerned face.

"What happened?" She asked.

"They won't listen to me. They say they have no master and I can't command them."

"Have you tried communicating with them on an emotional level? Channel an emotion towards them that they can relate to. Similar to when you push an emotion onto a person, try it with the elementals."

Closing his eyes again, Bennett pushed his magick towards the bowl of water again and the familiar calmness fell over him. Focusing on that calm feeling, he pulled more of it into himself and held it at his core. It pulsated inside of him, struggling to break free and with a strong force of will, Bennett pushed the emotional bubble towards the water, directing his will into the element. Instantly, Bennett felt the water respond to the serenity. It gave a grateful sigh and it felt almost like Bennett was one of these strange spirits.

_Can you move for me, please? _Bennett asked the spirits, opening his eyes and directing more serenity at the water.

The spirits giggled again but this time, they responded by moving inside the bowl, creating a tiny whirlpool. Bennett could feel the power running through him. Reaching out his hands, the water happily jumped into his palm, wrapping itself into a swirling sphere of water.

"You did it," Alyssa said, smiling at her son, "and it only took you an hour!"

"I was out for an hour?!" Bennett asked surprisingly, bouncing the orb between his hands. The water never touched his hands but hovered just above them.

"Yes, I even finished my sketches." She replied, lifting her pad and showing him her latest project. "Now, you've shown you can mold it but now I want you to direct it at that tree in a concentrated blast."

Drawing his eyes to the floating, watery orb in his right hand, Bennett stretched his arm out, aiming the water at the trunk of the tree in front of him.

_Attack!_ Bennett commanded, sending a new emotion at the water. Bennett began thinking of his own powers and the possibility that he might not be able to defeat the Darach. The water, sensing his insecurity jumped from his palm and at the tree, as if to show Bennett they would help him in his fight.

Small needles of water attacked the tree in a flurry, leaving pieces of the bark hanging from the tree's trunk.

"Good," Alyssa said, thoroughly impressed, "Next we'll try wind."

* * *

They had been at it for 3 hours and Bennett had successfully commanded the wind to blow but try as he might, he couldn't get it to slice. He connected with the wind's carefree personality which allowed him to command it but he couldn't reign in its erratic behavior to do something so concentrated. He was frustrated with his inability to do this. Every time he felt like he was making progress, something was pushing him back down.

"Well it seems that's as far as we can go with wind today so we'll move on to fire. Now fire is the element of passion, desire, and anger so you must find a memory strong enough to sustain it." Alyssa said, striking a match and dropping it into the bowl of twigs. Instantly, they ignited, burning the sticks and scenting the air with a sweet but heavy smell.

As he had done with the last 2 elements, Bennett closed his eyes and sent his magick towards the fire. His stomach began to heat up and his face turned red. The heat that spread through his body was intense but not uncomfortable. The warm sensation pulsing through his body made him think of Stiles and the way he felt every time the boy was near him. His breath began to quicken and in the back of his mind, he could hear his mother telling him to reign it back in; that it was growing too large. But try as he might, once Bennett seized that feeling, everything about Stiles stood out to him- the way he smelled, the way he talked, the way he smiled, everything about him made the heat inside of him intensify.

Bennett's thoughts of Stiles took him by surprise but he was too enraptured by this feeling to be even care. His thoughts began to take a different turn as he imagined Stiles shirtless, his arms wrapped around Bennett. He could feel Stiles' body heat mingling with his own, their breaths moving in a cycle of inhale-exhale as their eyes locked. The look in Stiles' eyes drew Bennett towards him, moving closer and closer until their lips was inches apart. The last small distance was closed by Stiles who pressed their mouths together with a fiery passion. Bennett was thrown from his fantasy by an intense pain striking his arm.

"Ah! What happened?!" Bennett shouted, grabbing his right arm and looking over at his mother. She was further away from him than she was when he first went under. Concern, surprise, and fear were present on her delicate features.

"It was terrifying…but beautiful. The fire…it was so big." She replied, moving over to Bennett's side. "I tried to pull you out but you couldn't hear me. I…I entered your mind to wake you and I saw what you were thinking about. In order for that kind of reaction, you would have had to have a strong emotion towards…your memory. Honey, do you want to talk about it?"

"I would mom, but I'm just as surprised as you. **I** didn't even know I had these kinds of feelings for him and I surely didn't know they were that strong. I'm just confused. Find out what happens next on the Bold and the Beautiful…"

"Well, we're done for today then. It's probably for the best anyway. Earth's stubbornness is hard to contend with. You need the rest." Alyssa said, placing her hands over the burn on Bennett's arm. She began casting a healing spell over him, her bright green eyes turning black but returning to their emerald shade as the spell ended and the burn vanished.

"I'll rest later. I need to talk to you about something." Bennett said, sitting down on the lush grass.

"You know you can talk to me about anything." She replied. She sat down next to him and pushed a stray hair behind Bennett's ear.

"I don't know if I can do this Darach thing alone. Even with you and Vartan's help, this whole thing seems hopeless and I can't ask for help because of the oath. Is there any way you could reverse it?" Bennett asked, hope in his eyes.

"Unfortunately sweetheart, once the oath is made it cannot be broken. Not without your death. You cannot tell her or her friends you're a witch without there being major consequences."

Bennett looked thoughtfully as minutes ticked by before revelation beamed off his face. "You said I can't **tell** them I'm a witch right?"

"Right…" Alyssa answered.

"But what if I **showed **them?!"

"Honey, I love you but I can't believe it took you this long to figure it out." Alyssa said, smiling at her son.

"Wait, you knew I could show them my powers?!" Bennett asked. He was staring at his mother in disbelief.

"Yes. I purposely phrased the spell to only include you telling them. I just couldn't tell you outright. You needed to learn this on your own."

"Ok, got it. Mom, I need you to drop me off at school." Bennett said standing up and dusting off his jeans. It was time some things changed around here. He hoped they were for the better.

* * *

"…I thought she was supposed to be some kind of genius?" Cora said. They had been in the empty classroom for 10 minutes now trying to see if Lydia could psychically divine Deaton's location to no avail. Stiles had frustration pouring off of him while Cora was the picture of annoyance.

"Genius, yes. Psychic, no." Lydia replied, smirking at the pair and continuing with her tree sketch.

"She's right, y'know?" Bennett said, walking into the classroom. He smiled at Stiles before making his way over to where Lydia had been sketching. "She's not a psychic but I am. So if you're done putting my cousin through this Sylvia Browne routine, I can tell you where Deaton is."

"Wait…what do you mean you're psychic?" Both Lydia and Stiles replied in unison.

"It's a long story. One we don't have time for me to explain right now. Now give me the keys and I'll try and find him." Bennett said, sticking his hand out.

Stiles picked up the keys and dropped them into the palm of Bennett's hand and instantly, Bennett gasped and gave a jump.

"What?!" Stiles asked, leaning towards Bennett. Bennett could smell the scent that was so undeniably Stiles and it made him smile for a moment before replying.

"They're cold." Bennett said, causing Lydia to chuckle, Cora to roll her eyes, and Stiles to huff in frustration.

"Bennett, we don't have time for this!"

"I know Stiles, but you've got to be a little more patient." Bennett replied closing his eyes again. Releasing his magick into the room, Bennett could feel the black hole that was Cora, an entity his magick couldn't detect because of her lupine heritage. He could feel Lydia but more importantly, her untapped power, raging inside of her wanting to break free. He could feel Stiles' gentle presence like a familiar touch across his skin. Directing his magick towards the keys, the reaction was instantaneous. His head snapped back and his eyes shot open revealing their black depths, causing Stiles and Lydia to gasp.

"Bennett…what do you see?" Lydia asked, trepidation in her voice.

"I don't know…something's trying to keep me out. I can see flashes. Metal walls. It…It's dark." Bennett replied, before groaning in pain. Stiles jumped to Bennett's side, clinging to his arm.

"Dude, are you ok?!"

"Yea, it just hurts…a lot. I…I can't breathe." Bennett said, his breath coming in short bursts. He could feel his lungs collapsing. He could sense the fear Deaton was feeling. There was a ringing in his head and his mind was scattering between here and there. All of his limbs felt much heavier than they should, like a weight was pressing down on him.

"My wrists…they feel…like they're…on fire." Bennett gasped, barely able to get the words out. "He's tied up…with…his arms…head…"

There were visible marks appearing over Bennett's pale wrists- bright red welts that were starting to bleed. Sweat was pouring down his face and his breaths were coming out in wheezing bursts.

"Ok, that's enough!" Stiles said, snatching the keys from Bennett's hand. The instant the keys left his palm, Bennett's breathing evened out and his body visibly relaxed. His eyes turned back into their familiar moss green color. Stiles wrapped his arms around Bennett's shoulders, rubbing them gently as a sign of comfort.

"Are you ok?" He asked Bennett.

"Yea, I'm fine. It was like swimming through taffy. He's trying to block my powers somehow so I couldn't get a positive read. I'm sorry I couldn't be more help."

"No, you were great. You did what you could." Stiles said, still rubbing his arms. "So, how did you do that?"

"He's a witch." Cora replied, scrunching her nose up at him and sniffing. "I can smell it on him. Witches always smell weird, like dirt, rain, and nature… he also smells like…vanilla."

"You're a witch?!" Lydia asked, searching Bennett's face for a joking smile.

"Yea, and so are you."

"I am not a witch…" Lydia replied, holding her hands up.

"Yea, you are. My mom is, your mom was, our grandparents were, and so on. I'll explain it all later, I promise, but Deaton is dying as we speak."

"You're right." Lydia said before turning to Stiles, "But honestly, I don't know why you're even bothering with us anyway when it's obvious you should be talking to Danny."

"Danny? Why Danny?" Stiles asked, reluctantly pulling his arms away from Bennett. He had forgotten they were still there but Bennett felt comfortable in his arms. He felt **right** in his arms. _Snap out of it Stiles! He's one of your close friends. He doesn't like you like that and now's not the time for this!_

"Because, last night he was a target…but he wasn't a sacrifice." Scott said, walking into the classroom, holding his shoulder.

* * *

"…so let me get this straight." Lydia said. She, Stiles, Bennett, and Cora were in Stiles' car on their way to Derek's place. He was in trouble and he needed them. Stiles had went to Danny's hospital room and discovered he might have found a clue as to where Deaton's exact location is. They went back to Deaton's office and using Danny's paper and Bennett's vision, they deduced that Deaton was being held at the vault in the abandoned bank where Cora, Boyd, and Erica were held before.

"We come from a family of witches but my mom, deciding she didn't want to be one anymore, cast a binding spell that got rid of her powers and the spell affected me as well so I was born without my powers. You actually came to Beacon Hills because you were having visions of people as they died because witches are connected to the land they were born on and the people born there?"

"Ummm… yea, pretty much." Bennett said, smiling at Lydia's confused face. He was in the backseat with Cora, both on opposite ends, avoiding each other like the plague.

"Ok…surprisingly I can deal with this. I like this explanation a lot better than me just losing my mind. By the way, is that why I have those weird psychic blackout things and why I didn't turn when Peter bit me?"

"Yea, you see, witches are immune to a werewolf's bite so we can't be turned." Bennett said, Cora scoffing and rolling her eyes at this announcement. "And we believe your blackouts were your subconscious' way of protecting your people."

"Huh…ok."

"I have a question." Stiles said, raising his right hand from the driver's seat and looking at Bennett through the rearview mirror. "Why didn't you tell us before? If you knew about the wolves then you knew we wouldn't care if you were a witch…warlock?"

"Witch," Bennett replied, "A warlock is a witch who uses their magick for dark reasons. I didn't tell you because my aunt forced my mom and me into what's called 'The Witch's Oath' which is an unbreakable oath of secrecy. If I had said something, I would've died but by exploiting a loophole, it allowed me to show you instead of telling you."

"Sweet!" Stiles exclaimed before training his eyes back towards the road. "One of my best friends is a werewolf and the other is a witch. What's next? Zombies?! Next thing you know, Gerard is gonna spring up from the dead!"

* * *

The four of them rushed into the basement of Derek's building intent on turning the power back on and reigniting Derek's plan.

"Ok, what do we do?" Stiles asked, out of breath. They were all out of breath from running through the labyrinth of a building, searching for the control room.

"Pull them. Pull all of them." Cora replied, reaching towards one of the red levers attached to the circuit box. They all began switching the levers on, sending millions of volts upstairs to where the wolves were no doubt battling each other.

They had heaved a great sigh of relief when Bennett let out an audible gasp, clutching his throat and coughing violently.

"What's the matter?" Stiles asked. He again began wrapping his arms around Bennett's shoulders as he had done earlier but, catching a curious look from Lydia, thought otherwise and lowered his arms to his side.

"It's…I'm not sure. While we were switching on the power, I sent some of my magick through the wires to give it an extra boost but when it returned it felt weird... tainted." Bennett replied, catching his breath and looking up into his friends eyes. "I think someone's dying..."

"Who?!" Cora asked, her eyes wide in fear. "Derek?! Boyd?! Isaac?! WHO?!"

She was marching towards Bennett, her eyes glowing yellow but Bennett stood his ground, his magick bouncing between his fingertips, begging to be released.

"He said he doesn't know!" Lydia said. She walked over, embedding herself between the 2 of them to stop any further confrontation. "How about we go upstairs and find out?"

The four of them turned towards the door and ran up the many stairs to the building's main floor. When they finally made it to the top floor of the building where the battle was most likely ending, they ran into the 3 Alphas- Kali, Ethan, and Aiden. Aiden winked at Lydia and smiled as Kali growled in Bennett's direction but the group continued on.

When they reached the door, they were greeted to the sight of Derek standing next to Boyd's dead body. Everyone in the room could almost see the anguish coming from Derek. Cora and Stiles immediately ran to Boyd's body, Cora lifting his wet head into her lap, tears streaming down both of their faces. Cora's sobs could be heard bouncing off the walls of the empty room and all Stiles could do was place his hand on Derek's shoulder for support.

"Witch! DO SOMETHING!" Cora shouted, looking at Bennett who was standing in the doorway with Lydia, Isaac, and another woman.

"I can't. Healing magick doesn't work on wolves. And even if it did, he's gone…I can't bring back the dead…I won't bring back the dead."

Cora continued to cry. Some would say she cried all night. But Cora's tears weren't just for Boyd. They were for everyone she's lost and there were many. She cried for lost love, lost family, and lost hope. But mostly she cried for herself, she cried for that moment when she could see the life drain from Kali's dead, evil eyes as she ripped her heart out and drank the blood. This thought made Cora smile. The last smile she would have for a long time.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

So there it is, Bennett and Lydia's secret has been revealed. Originally it wasn't how I envisioned it would come out. Originally I had Derek reveal it through Bennett's smell and try to attack him, mini battle ensued (which might still happen) but since this whole episode again revolved around things Bennett couldn't otherwise be involved in so I thought, what the hell, and had him reveal his heritage. I hope the whole 'seen and not told' technicality doesn't come off as a big cop out. Lol.

I don't like Cora so I made her an even BIGGER bitch and I'm sad Boyd died. I feel like they didn't do enough with his character. And I can't wait until they kill that crazy bitch, Jennifer. And Kali. I do not care for her. This show makes shitty female characters! I find Allison annoying and the first 2 seasons, Lydia was too.

I would also like to say thank you to all of the support I've gotten from this story. It motivates me to continue writing. THANK YOU!


	6. Chapter 6- Visionary

I will warn you this chapter is a little longer than the others. Thank you all for your support!

**CHAPTER 6- VISIONARY**

It had been 2 days since Boyd's death and everyone was handling it in different ways. Scott had been spending more time with Allison, Lydia poured over every book about witchcraft she could find, Isaac and Cora kept themselves locked in Derek's loft, Stiles spent every waking moment at Lydia's house with Bennett, and Derek had gone missing. Bennett had been teaching Lydia information he had known his entire life in the spans of a few days and surprisingly, Lydia was picking everything up quite easily, owing it to her intelligence. A subject that wasn't as easy to figure out was Bennett's feeling for Stiles. He knew there was something there but he couldn't bring himself to tell Stiles out of fear he would reject him and Bennett would lose a great friend. This was made harder by the fact that Stiles was always around Bennett and Bennett found himself watching Stiles sleep, moving closer to him when they watched movies, or letting his hand linger too long when they would brush against each other. Stiles, of course, was oblivious to any of this which succeeded in making Bennett even more frustrated.

Currently Stiles, Bennett, and Lydia were piled into Bennett's bed. It was mid-afternoon on a lazy Friday after school and Bennett was teaching Lydia the basics of the witch's alphabet while Stiles was lost in his own world, playing a computer game on Bennett's laptop.

"So, this symbol means 'th' so if you were to write 'the', you'd use this symbol instead of 't' and 'h' separately." Bennett said, pointing to the piece of paper he had written the alphabet on.

"Ok, I get it. What about this one?" Lydia asked, pointing to the glyph next to it.

"That means 'ea'. Just like 'th' it's a shortcut so you don't have to write the whole thing."

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Lydia said. She began closing books and pushing papers aside. "What happened that made my mom hate being a witch so much? I would ask her but that would defeat the purpose of us doing this all in secret."

"Well, from what my mom said, when they were younger our grandparents were **very **eccentric and made no secret to the world that they were witches. So our moms were constantly teased about it and they didn't have many friends. It wasn't like grams and gramps were showing their powers around town but they would do readings and spells and shit."

"That's so sad." Lydia said sympathetically.

"Yeah but it got worse for your mom after my mom left for college and she was stuck in high school alone. The kids would tease her and make fun of her but for the most part, she endured. Then one day, all of that started to change. Almost overnight, all the kids at school were nicer to her; she gained some friends, and even got a boyfriend. Well long story short, it eventually came to light that they were all her friends because of some dare. A joke to get inside of her house and see her 'freak witch parents' for themselves. After that, she withdrew and when she graduated, she bound her powers and moved to Beacon Hills."

"I wonder why she never told me any of this." Lydia wondered aloud.

"According to my mom, she doesn't even talk to her about it. Suffice it to say when my mom found out, they got what they deserved."

"So she killed them?

"No, a witch taking a human life would bring darkness into their hearts. Eventually that darkness would grow and their morality would begin to warp and turn them into a warlock. Warlock's are both stronger and weaker than we are but for the same reasons. When a witch becomes a warlock the earth rejects them. They lose their connection to the land. This both strengthens and weakens them. No, what my mom did was cast a Karma spell." Bennett replied.

At this Stiles, who had paused his game ages ago, finally spoke up. "A Karma Spell?" he asked, closing the laptop and turning his full body towards Bennett.

"We witches heavily believe in the laws of Karma- what you send out comes back to you three times as good or three times as bad. But when my mom cast her spell, it kick-started karma and made a lifetime of bad karma come flying at them."

"What happened to them?" Stiles asked.

"Her 'friends' had minor things happen to them…well minor compared to what the boyfriend got. One girl, the virgin, got hooked on drugs and is now apparently homeless and prostituting herself on the streets of San Jose. Another girl, the athlete, was in a car accident which resulted in a full body cast for 6 months. She could no longer play sports and lost her all her scholarships. And the other girl, the vainest of the three, mysteriously lost all of her hair and contracted a harsh strain of acne. She still lives in San Francisco. I saw her once, bald and a face like the surface of the moon." Bennett replied. He pulled a bag of gummy worms from his bedside table and began happily eating them.

"What happened to the boyfriend?" Lydia asked, reaching over and grabbing a gummy worm and popping it into her mouth.

"Oh yeah! Well he was a bad guy from the get go. Hot but bad. There were always rumors that he forced himself on some of the girls at school but no one reported it cuz his father paid them off. Well his father, for his role to play, lost every single dime of his lawyer money and they had to move to a not so nice part of town. So one night, the once popular asshole was walking from the bus stop to his house and he was cornered by a gang of guys. They tried to rob him but he didn't have any money, so they each took a different kind of currency and left him on the street. Well, he contracted some pretty serious badness from them and after many years of fighting it, he died of AIDS."

"Shit dude, that's some serious stuff." Stiles said, hugging his legs.

"Wait, but wouldn't something like that make your mom go bad?" Lydia asked.

"Not really. If she had done it with her own magick, then it would've been her fault but she simply asked karma to do its job. The result of their shitty lives was on them. They technically damned themselves." Bennett said. He closed the half full bag and placed it back into his nightstand.

"You see, magick is neither good nor evil; neither black nor white. It depends on the witch using it and the intent behind it. My mom had no intention of them getting hurt too badly but their own shitiness cursed them."

"Makes sense to me." Stiles said, grabbing his phone from his pocket. It was glowing and it indicated he had a text message. Flipping it open, he began to reply to the message.

"Ok," Lydia began, "I have one more question. If your mom and your brother are connected to San Francisco, how are you connected to Beacon Hills?"

At this, Stiles stopped typing and looked over at Bennett, curiosity playing across his features.

"My mom was 8 months pregnant with me when she came to visit your mom here in Beacon Hills. You were only a few months old and my mom had come to see you for the first time. Well, my mom asked yours if she was going to raise you up in magick as she assumed you would have it. They began to argue and your mom kicked mine out and told her never to come back if she was gonna keep bringing it up and my mom stormed out and got into the car. On the way back to the hotel, her water broke and that night she gave birth to me. That was also the night your mom cast the Witch's Oath on my mom to never tell you about it."

"Hmmm…" Lydia responded, crawling out of Bennett's bed, grabbing the books all over the floor, and walking towards the door. "Well, I guess that's it for me. So I'm gonna take these books back to my room and continue studying."

"Actually, I have to go too." Stiles said, slipping his red Converse on. "Cora just texted me. I think it's about Derek's disappearance. I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Not tomorrow. Remember, my dad and brother are coming so I'll probably hang out with them all day. Plus, we're gonna try and unbind Lydia's magick."

"Dude! **Please** let me be there for that?!" Stiles said pleadingly, again jumping on the bed. "I gotta see that!"

"Stiles, you can't." Bennett replied, pushing Stiles out of the bed and towards the bedroom door. "You already know way too much and I could get in a lot of trouble for telling you. Not to mention, it could get dangerous and I don't want you to get hurt. So no, absolutely not. But if you come on Sunday, you can meet my dad and my little brother."

"Ok, fine!" Stiles said huffing. "But I'll be here bright and early so don't you get all mad when I'm sitting on your face."

Both of them immediately sobered up when they realized what Stiles had just said.

"Shit! Dude, I didn't mean it like that!" Stiles practically shouted. "God, I'm gonna go before I say something else stupid."

Stiles made a move closer to Bennett as if he were about to hug him but thought better of it and turned away with a slight wave in Bennett's direction. Bennett didn't believe in Hell but the pain he felt in his heart at watching Stiles leave, suddenly made him realize just how real Hell is.

* * *

The first thing that awoke Bennett was the bright, hot California sun beaming through a gap in his bedroom curtains. The second thing was the smell of breakfast wafting through the house. The third were the loud voices of his family- Lydia's soft, high voice contrasting to the deep timbre of Vartan's pitch. Bennett climbed out of bed and picked up the brush on his bedside table and ran it through his unruly scarlet hair, finally pulling it back into a knot on the top of his head. The commotion of the day grew as Bennett opened the door and made his way down the stairs, smiling at the chaos before him as he entered the dining room.

"Alyssa, why can't you just respect the boy's request not to call him by his full name?" Dahlia Martin said, pouring coffee into her sister's cup. "If he wants you to call him Ian, then that's what you should call him."

Everyone was still in their pajamas, except Mr. Martin, Mr. Rosenberg, and Vartan. Mr. Martin was dressed in a suit, chatting away on his cell phone, Mr. Rosenberg was wearing a plaid button-up shirt tucked into khakis, and Vartan was clad in a sleeveless shirt with the sides cut out and a pair of basketball shorts. Darrin Rosenberg's blonde hair had started to pick up flecks of grey that could be seen even through the hair gel he used to style it. Vartan's hair, on the other hand, was just as vibrant as Bennett's but was styled in a short buzz cut.

"Because." Alyssa said, her coffee cup in one hand and her husband's hand intertwining the other. "When we decided to name the kids, Darrin got to name Bennett and I got to name Vartanian and I love his name. It's a good name!"

"It's a weird name!" Vartan said his mouth half full of food.

"It is not!" Alyssa proclaimed.

"It is kind of weird Aunt Aly…" Lydia said smiling. She was wearing an enormous baseball shirt, her hair pulled up similarly to Bennett's, and her usual makeup was nowhere to be seen. She was picking at a bowl of oatmeal loaded with fresh blueberries.

"See!" Vartan shouted, a piece of toast in hand. He was the first to notice Bennett leaning against the doorframe, smiling at their spectacle.

"Ben!" He said jumping from his seat and wrapping his long, muscular arms around his brother. "Dude, I've missed you! The house has been a lot quieter without your lame ass jokes!"

"Ok, **_Vartanian_**. Just for that I'm not going to introduce you to any of my hot new girl friends." Bennett replied with a smile and a wink.

"Why do you let him call you Vartanian?" Alyssa said frowning.

"Because he usually calls me Vartan and not Vartanian." Vartan said, picking up where he left off, bacon halfway to his mouth.

"And because he loves his big brother!" Bennett said, taking a seat next to Vartan before leaning over and kissing his brother on the cheek.

"Duuuuude! What did I tell you about that gay stuff?!" Vartan said rubbing the spot Bennett had just kissed him, a grimace on his face.

"Not to start what I can't finish?" Bennett smiled.

His only replied from his brother was a not-so-cleverly disguised hand gesture in his direction.

"Maybe later. So, what do you guys want to do today?" Bennett asked Vartan and Lydia, reaching for the plate of eggs and bacon. The parents had begun to talk about mundane things while the three teenagers continued on.

"Same thing we do every night Pinky." Vartan said, a smile creeping onto his face as he glanced conspiratorially at the other two.

"Try to take over the world!"

* * *

The three teens spent the day sightseeing and shopping. Mr. Rosenberg had allowed Vartan to drive Bennett's car to Beacon Hills so the teenagers bounced from each locale in Bennett's black Tesla Model S. They briefly visited Allison, Vartan shamelessly flirting with her the entire time, before pulling into Stiles' driveway. Before any of them got their seat-belts off, Stiles came running out the house, a smile painted across his lips. He was in his usual uniform of a v-neck tee, skinny jeans and Converse. Bennett had changed into a black tee, jeans, and leather jacket while Lydia donned a flowy, belted dress, wedged heels, and denim jacket.

"Dude! I thought you said you couldn't hang out today?! And is this **your** car?!" He said wide-eyed. He gently rubbed his hands across the smooth surface of the car.

"Yes, this is my car and I'm here because my brother wanted to meet you." Bennett replied climbing out of the car.

Stiles pulled himself away from the vehicle and turned to Vartan who had just stepped out of the car. "Hey man, I'm Stiles." He said reaching out his hand.

"Oh, I know who you are. Every time I talk to Ben, he can't shut up about you! 'Stiles said this' and 'Stiles did that'! I'm Ian by the way." Vartan said, returning Stiles' handshake.

"I thought you said his name was Vartan?" Stiles asked, a blush as red as Bennett's hair on his cheeks.

"It's a long story." Bennett replied, equally embarrassed.

"So I know you guys have money but how do you afford these cars? Aren't they like super expensive?" Stiles said changing the subject.

"Oh, I thought I told you? My mom is an automobile designer for Tesla. It's a company that makes all electric cars so when she designs one, they let her keep the prototypes after the finished products are made." Bennett said, closing the car door.

"Can we continue this conversation _inside_?" Lydia said impatiently.

The four of them made it into the house and up to Stiles' messy bedroom. Lydia immediately took a seat in his computer chair grimacing, Vartan found a beanbag chair in the corner and plopped down into it, which left Bennett and Stiles the bed.

"Hey, let me ask you a question." Stiles said. "If you guys are all 'one with the trees' and 'Greenpeace is my best friend' then why do you eat meat and wear leather?"

Vartan was the first to answer. He was idly flipping through Stiles' extensive comic book collection.

"As witches, we're in tune with nature and we respect it, which is why we try our best not to do anything that will harm it but we also understand the cycle of life. Animals were given to man to use and while we respect them for their sacrifice, we also understand that everything has it's time."

"Makes sense." Stiles replied, leaning back into his pillows, his arms brushing against Bennett's. There was a strong force that seemed to draw Stiles towards Bennett; an almost tangible spirit that called to his body, telling it to be close to him. He knew he felt right with Bennett but he also knew Bennett didn't see him like that. Stiles pulled himself out of his ruminations and noticed Vartan staring intently at him.

"How about a round of Gears of War?" He said awkwardly trying to change the subject.

* * *

It was around 10:30 when Bennett closed his phone, declaring it was time for them to leave.

"Ok guys, show time. We're supposed to meet mom on the edge of town at the clearing in the forest we go to to train." Bennett said. He stood up and grabbed his leather jacket, slipping his arm through one of the armholes.

"Why there?" Stiles asked. He put the game console's controller down and stood next to Bennett.

"It's apparently a magickal nexus where all of the magickal ley lines meet. It's basically a place of great power and we need as much power as we can get. I've got every piece of jewelry I own that can enhance power, the moon is in the right position, my mom got the ingredients for the spell ages ago, and we have three powerful witches so it's now or never."

"Are you nervous?" Stiles asked turning to Lydia. She had been doing homework the entire time the boys were playing videogames. She was now putting her books back into her bag.

"Not really." She replied, "I figured it's like my birthright so we're really just correcting a mistake. And I'll finally be able to help out more around this place….lord knows you guys need it."

"Ok, let's go." Vartan said, putting his own controller on the floor.

"Yeah ok. I'll see you tomorrow right?" Bennett asked Stiles.

"Yeah of course! Besides I need to catch you up on what I learned about Derek."

"Cool," Bennett replied. "See ya!"

The three teens walked down the stairs and were almost to the door when Vartan exclaimed.

"I'll catch up to you guys, I left my phone upstairs." He said turning around and running back up the stairs. He could hear the front door close as he re-entered Stiles' bedroom.

"I thought you guys left?" Stiles inquired.

"They're waiting for me downstairs." Vartan replied, stepping closer to Stiles. "Look, I'm not gonna beat around the bush about this. I know how you feel about my brother and before you say you don't know what I mean, I know you're in love with him. I see the way you look at him, the way you seem so at ease around him, and I also see the way he looks at you. Don't lie to me and say I'm lying because I'm a witch and I can sense your emotions. Just know that for as much as he comes off all witty, and strong, he's been hurt a lot in his life and he can't take it from you so if you want to be with him, that's fine, I support it. But if you break his heart, I will be back to see you Stiles."

Vartan offered a quick smile at Stiles' surprised face and grabbed the phone that he had purposely left. He turned around and headed towards the front door, still smiling at the mental image of Stiles' dumbfounded expression. Vartan was turning the doorknob when he heard Stiles behind him.

"I promise, I will **never** hurt him."

* * *

"Took you all long enough!" Alyssa Rosenberg said. She was wearing a floor length silver maxi gown that glimmered in the moonlight and played wonderfully against the soft curls of her long red hair. "We have to do this at midnight."

"Sorry Seim." Bennett said walking into the clearing.

He could recognize many of the things that had been placed in the large space. There was a large ring of what appeared to be cedar ash and surrounding it were eight black candles. Placed atop the circle of ash, at the points corresponding with the 5 points of the pentacle, were 5 golden bowls each inscribed with a different large symbol on its surface. The bowl at the "head" of the pentacle was empty and had a circle engraved on it. To the right, this bowl was filled with clear water and had an upside triangle on it. The next one had a single, thick white candle inside of it. Inscribed on the side of this bowl was a right side up triangle. To the left was a bowl engraved with another upside down triangle but with a horizontal line through it. It was filled with different herbs such as Comfrey, Coltsfoot, and Wintergreen. The final bowl had a tiny incense cone inside of it and this bowl had a right side-up triangle with a horizontal line through it.

"Who's Seim?" Lydia asked looking at the objects set on the forest floor.

"I'll tell you about it later." Bennett replied.

"Ok, first Lydia darling, I need you to go and stand in the center of the circle." Alyssa said, pointing towards the circle of cedar ash.

"Theur, I need **you **to light all of the candles and the incense." She said to Vartan, passing the small yellow lighter in his direction. He nodded and went on to do the task he was asked to do.

Passing a beautiful dagger towards Bennett, Alyssa said, "Suorin, I need you to add a couple drops of her blood to the Spirit bowl."

Bennett took the athame in his hand, the silver blade glistening brightly in the moonlight. The blade was simple silver but the silver handle of the knife twisting and contorted into the shape of a tree.

"Give me your finger" Bennett instructed Lydia. Without hesitation she pushed her hand into Bennett's outstretched palm. "It'll only hurt for a minute."

He took Lydia's right index finger and pricked it with the dagger, drawing blood. Picking up the bowl with the circle etched on it, Bennett squeezed Lydia's finger dropping 4 drops of blood into it. Lydia hissed slightly at the pressure but otherwise remained quiet. Placing the bowl back on the circle and walking back towards Alyssa, Bennett gave the knife back to his mother.

"Ok, it's time." She said to the gathering before her. "Theur, Suorin take your places around the circle."

Alyssa stood at the head of the circle, facing Lydia. For the first time since her arrival, Lydia showed nervous fear on her face. The feeling was momentary as Lydia began to feel a soft, calm feeling sweeping over her. It made her feel happy and content, completely at ease with the situation at hand. She closed her eyes, calling up memories of her childhood when her father was actually home, the happiness she felt when she was wrapped in Jackson's arm, and the warm feeling she got the first time he told her he loved her. Opening her eyes, she immediately looked over at Bennett who was smiling sweetly at her as she mouthed a silent _thank you_.

Alyssa raised her heavily jeweled hands towards the circle and closed her eyes, the other two boys following suit. The calmness that had invaded her body before was gone and again the fear crept into her body but the relaxing smell of cinnamon eased some of the tension.

"Mani commaent lerret cael dethol nae kha!" Alyssa began chanting, her eyes growing dark and wide. Bennett and Vartan began repeating after her.

"A lye nelde sii n'sul. Eshaal lyeliy lyeluth lyeumbar, ashan n'alaquel i'bell en commaent caeli. Lye sii'utune he luth na kuile, veelye yel i'lir ent beth naa hinual. Ed i'sanye ennelde ent nelde, veelye mernta desha tana!"

Picking up the dagger, Alyssa dipped the tip of the knife into the bowl that contained Lydia's blood and held the athame above her head.

"Drii maskan erek ent ear." She continued. "Ed lye quarlani suorinna!"

"Suorinna!" Vartan and Bennett replied. At this, Alyssa drove the blood tipped dagger into the ground.

The affects were immediate. The flame of the candles shot up and the air grew thick. The atmosphere hummed with magick so strong, it caused the trees to lean into the group's embrace. Above them, the night sky rumbled and lightning forked across the sky. The wind began to pick up, snuffing out all of the candles and scattering the herbs and ash all over the clearing.

"What's happening?" Vartan asked over the howl of the wind.

"She's stronger than I thought! The built up power is trying to free itself!" Alyssa replied, her hair whipping across her face.

Lydia suddenly dropped to the ground, clutching her head. They could see that her mouth was open but no sound could be heard. As quickly as she fell, her head snapped up and she looked straight into Bennett's eyes. Lydia's eyes had turned completely black. She threw her head towards the sky as her body began to lift off the ground.

Like some magickal crucifixion, Lydia hovered in the air for what felt like hours, her body almost bending in half, her black eyes as wide as her open mouth. The wind was reaching frenzy and rain had begun to fall all around them. The thunder rumbled even louder and all the three witches could do was watch in amazement as large hail balls began falling from the sky. Each of them felt like their very power was being drained from their bodies but no one felt it more than Bennett. He could feel himself losing some of his power and as hard as he tried, it seemed to slip right through his fingers.

Just as quickly as it had begun, Lydia's body went rigid as a huge wave of energy swept through the clearing, knocking everyone to the ground. Lydia's body dropped from the sky as the wind died down and the weather returned to its former calm.

And all that was heard was silence.

* * *

Lydia opened her eyes with a small groan and immediately shut them to the blinding light that invaded her vision. She could hear someone moving to her left and could feel the bed dip as they sat down next to her. She moved her head in the direction of the noise attempting to open her eyes again, the smell of vanilla greeting her.

"How are you feeling Sleeping Ugly?" The familiar voice asked her as she rubbed her eyes. She cracked them open once again and although still very bright, the light was less intense.

"Well, my head is killing me but surprisingly, I feel amazing. I've never felt so alive. It feels like there's fire running through my veins and everything seems so much clearer." Lydia said, fully opening her eyes and taking in Bennett's smiling face. He was wearing a long sleeve black shirt and his favorite pair of black drop-crotch pants. His hair appeared to be wet from a shower and he had dark circles rimming him tired eyes.

"That's magick." Bennett replied.

"So, what the hell happened?" Lydia asked, pulling herself up into a sitting position. She was in her bedroom and even though it was so bright when she first awoke, she realized it wasn't actually bright in the room at all. She also began to notice how different everything felt. The colors of her room seemed more vibrant and the smells were more intense. She could literally feel Bennett's relief and happiness and she could hear his words before he said them.

"After my mom finished the spell, it was like all of your magick came rushing back to you but it happened way too fast. I thought you were dead. When we brought you back home, you looked like death." Bennett replied.

"This feels so weird! I can hear your thoughts!" Lydia exclaimed.

"Wait, what?" Bennett said shockingly. "You shouldn't be able to hear me, I have mental blocks up. According to my mom, I'm the strongest witch in this family so you shouldn't be able to get through unless…you're stronger than me. That's why my magick is weaker. Now that I share the land with you, we share the land's magick and since you're now the Alpha witch, you get a greater amount than I do. You also seem a lot more adjusted than you should be. Mom said she wouldn't have been surprised if you woke up brain dead or something."

"That's a lovely thought coming from my aunt." Lydia said, climbing out of bed. She expected to feel tired or be in pain, but she really did feel amazing. "Speaking of your mom, where is everyone? I don't feel anyone else here."

"Well, your parents went to work. They thought you were drunk when they came in this morning to check on you and you wouldn't wake up." Bennett said laughing. "Vartan and my parents went back to San Francisco. My mom had to take care of some work thing in the city so it's just us until Stiles gets here."

Lydia walked over to her closet and began pulling clothes out of it while Bennett sat on her bed, idly flipping through the magazine she kept on her bedside table.

"About Stiles…what's going on with the two of you?" She asked, sticking her head out of the closet.

"What do you mean?" Bennett responded, not looking up from the page he was looking at.

"Come on B, Stiles has been in love with me for forever so I know what it looks like when he's crushing on someone and I know you. I see the way you two are around each other."

Bennett put the magazine back on the table and lay down on the bed.

"Ok, I'm not gonna lie and say I don't have feelings for him, especially now that you're super witch, but what could come of it? He's straight! And even if he wasn't, why would he be into me?"

"Ok yea, he is straight but I'm not so sure that's %100 and why wouldn't he like you? You're amazing! You're smart, funny, hot, and related to me. Admit it, you two are perfect together." Lydia said. She had moved from the closet and was standing in front of the mirror, holding a fitted knit sweater dress up to her body.

"I just don't want to ruin our friendship if it all went wrong, y'know? I would be fine never being with him romantically if I kept him as a friend."

"Look, being with Jackson taught me one thing- you've gotta grab love when you can. So stop being such a girl and tell him how you feel. I'm almost positive he feels the same way."

"Ok Dr. Phil, I get it." Bennett said, climbing off the bed and over to Lydia. "But if he rejects me, I swear I'll kill you."

Smiling at Bennett's reflection, Lydia turned looking him in eyes. "You could try but now that I'm the All-Powerful Lydia, you wouldn't stand a chance."

They both stood in silence looking at themselves in the mirror. Each of them thought about their futures. Bennett thought about where his relationship with Stiles was going and if they could truly be together. Lydia thought about how her world will now change now that she had magick on her side.

"Bennett?" Lydia asked, breaking the silence.

"Yea, Didi?"

"What's going to happen now?" She said, turning to face him.

"Honestly, I don't know. But what I do know is the battle has only just begun. This is only the beginning."

"The beginning of what?"

Turning around and walking towards the door, Bennett looked at Lydia, a serious look in his eyes.

"The beginning of the end."

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I am so sorry I posted this so late but I have been so unmotivated! Firstly let me say, whoever did the musical score for this episode is GENIUS! So good! And young Derek is really cute.

Am I the only one to notice that whenever there's tragedy on the show, no one really talks about it or really mourns? Aside from the statement Lydia made in the first episode, no one brings up Jackson. After they found Erica's body, there was no funeral and the only person who actually appeared to care was Boyd. And now he's dead so they'll probably ignore that too.

I originally intended Lydia's unbinding to happen sooner cuz I wanted it to happen on a new moon but since the full moon episode is coming up, it wouldn't have worked.

I knew from the beginning I didn't want this to be one of those stories where the main character was the strongest person in the story cuz that gets boring and predictable so I made Lydia stronger than him.

So, I made Bennett back in April before the third season started and I feel like I might be a little psychic cuz I just saw an old promo video of the eyes of Teen Wolf and the last one looks how I made the witches eyes look when they use magick. They're watching me!

I'll breach the ritual witch names I gave them in the next chapter but they are the Elvish version of one of the meaning of their names. I gave the witches flower names (except Bennett and Lydia) so Alyssa means "Alyssum", Dahlia clearly means "Dahlia" and Vartanian means "Rose Giver" but for their witch names, I used the other meaning of their names.

Alyssa's witch name is Seim (Say-eem) which means "Noble Kind", Bennett's witch name is Suorin (Swore-een) which means "Blessed", and Vartan's witch name is Theur (Thay-ur) which means "Shield". Dahlia has one but you'll have to wait to know it and Lydia will get one as well.

The words to the Unbinding Spell in English are:

What time and magic have chose to bind,

May we three now unwind.

Through our love, our power, our fates,

Rewind the hands of time and space.

We now ask her powers be awoken,

As we cast the spell and words are spoken.

By the laws of three times three,

As we will it, so shall it be.

Air, fire, earth, and sea,

By our souls, blessed be!

Blessed be!


	7. Chapter 7- The Girl Who Knew Too Much

**CHAPTER 7- THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH**

"I don't understand." Bennett said pacing. "**I** didn't have a vision so if someone is hurt, how could you have possibly known it happened?"

Bennett was standing in the parking lot of their school with Allison after Lydia had called them to tell them she'd had another blackout and was afraid someone else was hurt.

"I don't know! Maybe I'm not a witch?" Lydia said. Bennett could feel the anguish of the situation coming off of Lydia in waves and it was beginning to affect him. Truth was, he was beginning to wonder the same thing. They had unbound Lydia's magick 2 days ago and she didn't seem to have most of her powers. She could read minds and emotions but she couldn't astral project, she couldn't command the elements, and he was now alerted to the fact she couldn't get visions. They had tried to see if she could move an object with her mind but the book wouldn't move. They had tried to see if she could recite a spell but nothing happened. For the first time since arriving to Beacon Hills, he was afraid for not just Lydia's life but for his own.

"No, you have to be a witch. It's a genetics thing. There has never been anyone with a witch parent who didn't become a witch themselves." Bennett replied, wrapping his black hoodie around himself. He looked tired in ripped jeans and his hair was slightly disheveled.

"But you said, I was the strongest witch you knew…even stronger than you. Maybe, I don't know, maybe I'm so strong I can feel people who are on my land who weren't born here?" Lydia stated.

Allison finally spoke up. "Well I guess that's a possibility but what I know about witches from my dad's books suggest even a powerful witch can only be influenced by her own people."

The three stood in silence for a while before Bennett spoke. "Where the hell are Scott and Stiles?! We texted them like an hour ago?"

"I know!" Allison replied. "If someone isn't dead, they would be now! While we wait…Bennett, what's going on between you and Stiles?"

Blushing Bennett began to speak but before he could, bright headlights shone in the distance and he could hear the sound of Scott's bike and Stiles' jeep pulling up.

"Over here!" Allison shouted to Scott and Stiles.

"Lydia?" Stiles asked concerned.

"It's the same thing," she replied "same thing as the pool. I got into the car heading somewhere totally different and ended up here. You told me to call you if I find a dead body."

At this, shock registered on all the teen's faces.

"You found a dead body?!" Stiles asked, looking back and forth between everyone present.

"Not yet."

"What do you mean 'not yet'?" He continued. "You're supposed to give us a call **after **you find the dead body!"

"Oh no, I'm not doing that again." She replied, shaking her head. "You find the dead body from now on."

"How are we supposed to find the dead body?! You're always the one finding the dead body!" Stiles countered. He was beginning to get frustrated with Lydia, something he had found himself feeling a lot. At first he thought it was because of his growing feelings for Bennett and his confusion over which cousin he truly wanted but after spending so much time with Bennett, Stiles was beginning to think he had made his choice.

"She's not your bloodhound, Stiles. I'm just as much to blame for this. I came here to stop the murders and I haven't saved anyone." Bennett said, coming to Lydia's defense. He wanted to be mad at Stiles for verbally attacking his cousin but he found it hard as he was staring at Stiles' beautiful face.

"I know, but I just don't understand…"

"Guys!" Scott interrupted. He was looking in the direction of the school. "**I** found the dead body."

* * *

"Why are you even talking to me?" Ethan said staring at the three teens in front of him, specifically Bennett. "I killed your friend, how do you know I'm not going to kill another one?"

It was the day after they had found Deputy Grahame's body, bleeding all over the Beacon Hills High front lawn. Scott and Stiles had hatched a plan for Lydia to distract Aiden while they talked to Ethan about what was going on.

"Is he looking at Bennett? Are you threatening him?" Stiles replied, his temper beginning to rise as he pushed himself off the staircase and began walking towards Ethan. He could see the way the wolf was staring at Bennett and he didn't know whether it was because wolves and witches are natural enemies or because both of them were gay. Stiles didn't care either way; he really didn't like Ethan looking at Bennett at all. "You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna break off an extra large branch of mountain ash, wrap it in wolf's bane, roll it in mistletoe, and shove it up your freaking…"

"Whoa, Stiles it's ok." Bennett replied, pushing Stiles back. He had to admit seeing Stiles stand up for him to the Alpha made his stomach flutter and his heart race. He also had to admit seeing Stiles getting angry was a bit of a turn-on for him but now was not the time to dwell on his inappropriate feelings for his best friend.

"We're talking to you because we know you didn't want to kill Boyd and I know if something like that happened now, you wouldn't do it again." Scott said, looking at Ethan.

At this, Bennett let out an audible scoff at Scott's words but remained quiet. Ethan glanced at Bennett but seeing Stiles' expression, looked back at Scott.

"You don't know what we owe them, especially Deucalion." He continued. Stiles looked at him with contained disdain as Bennett gazed on uninterested in anything he had to say. "We weren't like Kali and Ennis when we met him. We weren't Alphas, we were Omegas."

"Aww so little Fido and his brother Sparky weren't always top dogs? Watch me as I cry for you." Bennett said, rolling his eyes. "And you can tell your little wolf-bitch Kali, that that whole toe claw thing is not cool, it's fucking gross. I mean, would it kill her to get a pedicure?!"

"Listen witch," Ethan began, his eyes glowing red. He was moving towards Bennett who didn't seem fazed at all. "Keep talking and I'll rip out your tongue and…"

"Both of you, enough!" Scott said, looking at the pair. They were chest to chest, Ethan's eyes glowing red, Bennett's big and black. For a moment Bennett looked as if he were going to challenge Scott but instead he moved back and continued ignoring the Alpha. "Ethan, continue."

"In actual wolf packs, Omegas are the scapegoat." Ethan continued, moving back to the other side of the staircase. "The last to eat; the one who has to take all the abuse from the rest of the pack."

"So you and your brother were like the bitches of the pack?" Stiles said glaring at Ethan as Bennett laughed at his joke.

"Something like that." Ethan replied glaring back.

"What happened?" Scott asked. He was beginning to get frustrated with Stiles and Bennett and their outbursts.

"They were killers. I mean, people talk about us like we're monsters but they were the ones who gave us the reputation and our Alpha was the worst of them."

"Why didn't you guys just fight back?" Stiles asked. He had calmed down considerably. It didn't help he couldn't stop thinking about the warm arm Bennett presently had pressed against him. It took all of his effort not to wrap his arm around him and bring him closer. The smell of vanilla rising off of him was almost too much for him to handle. "Form Voltron Wolf, you know, kick everyone's asses?"

"We couldn't!" Ethan replied. "We couldn't control it back then."

"Deucalion taught you?" Scott interjected.

"And then we fought and we took them down the whole pack one by one. By the time we got to our Alpha, he was **begging **for his life! And we tore him apart. Literally."

"What about your emissary? They're all dead? Kali and Ennis' too?" Scott asked.

"All of them except Deucalion's." Ethan replied.

"You mean, Morelle?" Stiles asked.

Before Ethan could respond, a pain ripped through his chest, making his heart hurt and a white hot heat licked across his chest.

"What, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" Scott asked, moving closer to him.

"No not me, my brother."

* * *

Aiden and Cora were locked in a fierce battle and Lydia was the main spectator. Aiden had just thrown Cora into one of the sinks lining the locker room they were in and he was moving over the weights next to him. Pulling one off and walking towards Cora he could hear Lydia in the background screaming for him to stop but the satisfying crunch he heard as he hit Cora in the face with the weight overruled his need to listen to the girl. The force of the blow threw Cora over at Lydia's feet. Aiden raised the weight to strike her again when he was lifted off his feet and thrown back into the wall behind him. The mirrors he was pushed into gave a shuddering crack as glass began to rain down on him. He dropped the weight and tried to fight back against the pressure but he could feel the invisible force push him harder into the wall, cracking the tiles and making the wall behind him cave.

"Calm down Cujo or I will be forced to put your leash on." Bennett said, his eyes black as he pushed more power into the restraint. He, Stiles, Scott, and Ethan had arrived just in time.

"You can't do this!" Ethan shouted at his brother.

"She came at me!" Aiden replied, baring his fangs at Bennett who merely rolled his eyes and pressed harder. He didn't know who would break first, the wolf or the wall and he didn't particularly care.

"You can't touch him or her!" Ethan said. For a moment everyone was tense, alert just in case he chose to attack again. Ethan looked over at Bennett and with a nod of his head, Bennett released Aiden from his power.

Aiden stood up, brushing himself off. He walked over to his brother, giving the group a once over before quietly turning away and walking out of the locker room.

* * *

"Are you ok?" Bennett asked Stiles. They were in the hospital after had Cora passed out. One minute the three of them were in Stiles' bedroom and the next, she had fallen to the floor. They had been there because Stiles thought it was time he told his father what was actually going on in Beacon Hills. When they got to the hospital, Stiles had tried to talk to his father about it again but his father still didn't believe him, causing a scene in the hospital's waiting room.

"I'm fine." Stiles replied, burying his face into his hands.

"You're lying." Bennett said, placing his hands on either side of Stiles' head, moving his head from his hands to look at him. "Talk to me."

"I forgot you can do that whole Jean Grey thing." Stiles replied, a small smile on his lips as he stared into Bennett's green eyes. "We'll talk about this later but we've got to get back to the school."

Bennett who was still holding Stiles' face could feel a magnetic charge bounce between the two of them, like a gravitational force pulling them together. He stared into Stiles' eyes and all he could see in them were love. For Bennett.

The force pulling them together called, **howled**, and their faces moved closer and closer to each other, their breaths coming in small huffs as Bennett's hands moved from Stiles' face to the back of his head. Stiles' heart was racing and his blood was pulsing. He knew they had to go but he couldn't stop what was about the happen. The hospital could be on fire and it wouldn't be enough to stop what he knew was about to happen.

The two of them were so close now that their noses were touching, then their foreheads, and finally Bennett's lips brushed against Stiles' soft lips and for a moment no one moved. They both held their breaths and it was as if time stood still. Stiles was the one to make the first move, firmly pressing his lips against Bennett's, an urgency he didn't know was there flaring up wildly. The world spun. The floor dropped. And Stiles' heart swell with the feeling. Every cliché Stiles could think of was happening in that very moment and he couldn't stop it even if he wanted to.

Bennett could feel Stiles part his lips and he knew he had to seize this opportunity. Accepting the invitation of Stiles' lips, Bennett pushed his tongue into Stiles' mouth, eliciting a small moan from the other boy as both of their tongues tangled with each other.

Stiles' hands moved from his sides and to Bennett's knee, traveling up the sides of his torso to his chest. He could feel Bennett's heart racing just as quickly as his own as he clutched Bennett's shirt as if he could hold his heart in his hands. Stiles could also feel the painful reminder of his hard cock pressing against the tight confines of his jeans. The uncomfortable pain was what snapped Stiles out of his reverie as he gently pushed Bennett back. They were both staring into each other eyes, panting hard, their lips swollen and a blush creeping across their faces.

"We should really go…" Stiles said looking away from Bennett before buttoning the bottom of his plaid shirt in an effort to hide his erection that refused to go down.

"You're right." Bennett said, following Stiles. He didn't know what that kiss meant and that's what scared him more than anything. It scared him more than the thought of Stiles regretting the kiss. More than the idea that Stiles may never want to talk to him again. More than the Darach or the Alphas.

What scared him most was the revelation that he was completely and unimaginably in love with Stiles and that terrified the shit out of him.

* * *

Bennett and Stiles had just arrived at the school and the band was playing a strange but haunting song, almost like a war chant or a dirge. The car ride had been the epitome of awkward as neither of the boys would talk about what they both wanted to talk about. When they entered the auditorium, Scott was standing right by the door, watching the show and waiting for them to arrive.

"Where's Lydia?" Bennett asked, looking around. He didn't see his cousin anywhere and he was almost positive she was still here.

"I don't know." Scott replied, a matching look of concern on his face. "She was here a minute ago."

"Can't you like use your witch radar or something to find her?" Stiles asked.

Closing his eyes, Bennett began to open his channels to allow his magick to search for Lydia but try as he might, he couldn't connect with his magick. It was if someone had thrown a blanket over his head. He felt blind, weak, and powerless and he didn't like it one bit.

"No, I can't!" He said with panic and anguish in his voice. "Something is blocking me!"

"What do you mean 'blocking you'?" Stiles asked placing a hand on Bennett's shoulder. Bennett glanced at it before Stiles quickly pulled it away.

"As in I can't use my magick. Something or someone is grounding me."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to do this the old-fashioned way." Scott said. He turned around, heading for the door of the auditorium, Bennett and Stiles following behind him.

* * *

They had been looking for Lydia for the last 10 minutes to no avail. They had searched everywhere and they still couldn't find her. Bennett was really starting to panic. Even though he couldn't reach his magick, he knew that there was something wrong. In his bones he could sense that Lydia was in trouble and with his powers out of commission Bennett wondered if any of them would see the end of the night.

"Lydia!" The three boys shouted. They were outside, checking to see if she was out there but it appeared as if they had reached another dead end. Bennett and Stiles could see Scott concentrating very hard using his wolf sight to track her.

"Anything?" Stiles asked him but he merely shook his head no. Stiles reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone for about the fifteenth time. "She's not answering her texts either. What should we do?"

"Well we have to do something!" Bennett said throwing his arms up. "We can't just sit around while she gets murdered or something!"

"Calm down, first of all we don't know something has happened to her. She could have just left. And we're not going to just do nothing, we'll go back inside and we will find her." Stiles responded, leading Bennett by the hand to the door. Bennett couldn't dwell on the fact that Stiles was holding his hand in public, he had bigger things to worry about but if he were honest with himself, Stiles' hand did feel perfect intertwined in his own. He could feel the heat from Stiles' hand merge with his own body heat in a symphony of thermal rhapsody. If they had the time, Bennett would have bathe in that feeling and the feeling he got as Stiles held him.

As they were walking back towards the school, Bennett caught a glimpse of something in the corner of his eye. On the windowsill of the closest window there were a bundle of tiny purple flowers and Bennett could see the same thing on several other windowsills along the side of the building.

"Wait!" He said, stopping the other two as they were entering the building.

"What?" Stiles asked.

Bennett freed his hand from Stiles' and walked over to the window, stretching slightly to grab the flowers. Pulling it back, he held it up so the other two could see it.

"This is vervain. It's the only known substance that can block a witch's magick. Someone knew I would be here and they know I'm a witch."

"Then we have to get it all out of here. We need your magick." Scott said, walking back down the stairs towards the windows.

"Wait Scott," Bennett replied following him "we don't know how much they put around the school. It would take too much time to find it all. Time we don't have. Someone is playing a game here and we don't know the rules. But all I know is game over."

Suddenly Scott grabbed his head and began groaning in pain but neither Stiles nor Bennett could hear anything.

"Scott?" Stiles said, walking over to Scott's hunched form, concern in his words.

Scott could barely get the words out but he managed to say what they had all been waiting all night to hear.

"I know where Lydia is."

* * *

The three boys rushed down the hallway to the classroom where Lydia was. Scott was in the lead so he was the first one to enter the room. He had begun to wolf out halfway there, his wolf speed placing him even further ahead of the two of them.

Stiles and Bennett were almost to the door when they heard a loud crashing noise and a thud. Looking at each other, the silent exchange between the two of them sent the same message. _Hurry!_

When they made it to the door they were greeted to the sight of Lydia tied to a chair with their English teacher Ms. Blake, standing in front of her. Stiles' father was slumped over at the back of the classroom, a dagger in his chest while Scott was lying on the floor, blooding pouring from his lips. There was something about her that Bennett found familiar. Yes, he knew her as his teacher but her power called to him, tried to welcome him as an old friend.

Before the two of them could enter the classroom Ms. Blake, in a show of unnatural strength, pushed the large desk in front of the door, locking them out and trapping everyone else inside. Stiles anxiously pounded on the door, pushing and trying to get his way in but Bennett could see that it was doing no good. He had never felt more powerless before in his life and he hated every moment of it. He felt lost and hollow and he knew that if Stiles couldn't get the door open, everyone they both loved would die. The thought of Lydia dying sent a shock through Bennett's system and he could feel an overpowering strength begin to pump through his body. He had never felt anything like this before, this rage and anger. He couldn't see himself, but somehow he knew his eyes had gone dark.

He could feel a new kind of magick flowing through his body, something much older than the lands he was standing on. This magick felt wild and strong.

Stiles momentarily stopped pushing at the door and was about to ask Bennett for assistance when he looked over at him. His eyes had gone almost completely black and red lightning was bouncing between his fingertips. There was a heaviness that settled in the hallway that almost dragged Stiles to his knees. He could feel a raw energy moving from Bennett towards him. Stiles turned away from him and continued pushing at the door, the desk finally beginning to give way and move.

The rage in Bennett increased when he thought of not just his own lose but Stiles'. His father was all he had left and if he died tonight, Stiles would truly be alone and it would all be his fault. He had failed to stop the other killings and he was going to fail again. He could feel the power within him reach its crest, the lightning in his fingers jumping wildly across his palms but before he could release it, Stiles gave one mighty push and the door opened wide enough for Stiles to slip through. He ran into the room and almost as quickly as it had come, the energy simply vanished. The wild power he had felt before was gone and the pressure that was in the hallway had dissipated like smoke in the wind.

Bennett ran over to the door and pushed himself through the narrow space into the room. He ran over to Lydia, checking her over for any injuries. He began to mutter a Healing Spell but the power of the vervain was still in effect so the spell was useless. Bennett didn't know what was happening anymore. His English teacher is the one he came to kill. She had taken Stiles' father with her. Lydia almost died tonight. And Bennett did something he didn't know could be done. The fear Bennett had felt earlier at the hospital returned but this time it wasn't his own feelings that scared him. What scared him was the uncertainty of tomorrow. A tomorrow he knew would come and go. A tomorrow that would bring this all closer to the end. Because what Bennett knew was that he would kill the Darach. He would kill her for all the lives she sacrificed. He would kill her for hurting Lydia and Stiles. But mostly he was going to kill her simply because he wanted to. And that urge scared Bennett much more than his own feelings ever could.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES: So let me just say I feel like a fool. Of all the beings I suspected Lydia to be, a banshee was not one of them and when I look back it was SO obvious! I feel so stupid, especially because I consider myself a mythology connoisseur! I did know Ms. Blake was the Darach though so there's that.

When they did the reveal (after berating my stupidity) I was struck with two options. Either I could work the banshee thing into my story or completely glaze over it. I chose to work it into the story. I know how I want to take the whole witch-banshee thing but depending on what lore they choose to use, I might have to tweak it a little but I do have an idea of how to bring banshees into my story while staying true to Lydia being a witch and I think if you think about it, you'll already know how I'm going to resolve it.

The scene at the end, although a bit anticlimactic, was just there to show Bennett's new power but he probably won't fully use it until sometime in the next two chapters. (Even though there's only 3 chapters left!)

And I finally got around to speeding up Stinnett (Stiles/Bennett) (Much better than Biles lol). Stay tuned for to see their love blossom and I do mean that in the sexual sense.

I also know I said I would explain the names from the last chapter but there wasn't a good place to put it but I'm sure the next chapter will have somewhere I could put it.


	8. Chapter 8- The Overlooked

**WARNING: **This chapter depicts graphic homosexual sex in detail so if it's not your thing, I don't know why you've read up until this point! They live in a fictitious world where one of the consenting adults is a witch who can't catch anything so this chapter also depicts unprotected gay sex. Always wear a condom kids! Thank you.

**CHAPTER 8- THE OVERLOOKED**

"Ok mom, well whenever you get this message, call me back. Please. It's important." Bennett said tossing his phone onto his bed. He had called his mother four times, each time getting her voicemail and it was frustrating him to no end. He was frustrated because he didn't know what to do about the revelation of the Darach's true identity. He was frustrated over the fact he used magick under the influence of vervain, something no witch should be able to do, and he had no clue what that power was. He was frustrated because his cousin was almost murdered and her friends were nowhere to be found. Mostly he was frustrated because Stiles was out there somewhere and he didn't know if he was ok. Every time he used his magick to feel along their connection, he felt brief flashes of panic, sadness, and anxiety but no clear reading on whether he was okay.

After he and Stiles got into the classroom and discovered Sherriff Stilinski was taken by the Darach, Bennett quickly ran to Lydia's side to tend to her bindings and her wounds while the two boys ran out to search for him. Lydia refused to allow Bennett to heal the cut on her neck as she said it would be her reminder of what had happened tonight. Shortly afterward, Allison and Isaac came to see if she was okay and then told her they were going to Beacon Hills Hospital. Some friends. So Bennett drove Lydia home in complete silence, each of them trapped in their own thoughts.

When they got home, Lydia walked away from him, muttering that she was going to take a shower while Bennett went to call his mother. Sometime during the night it had begun to rain, then thunder, and suddenly the whole state was entangled in a chaotic storm that left most of Hill Valley (the neighboring town) flooded.

With a groan, Bennett walked through his bedroom to the connecting bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror. Bennett could see the weight of the night written on his face. His already pale skin looked positively white in the glow of the fluorescents, his red hair was tangled and straggly, and he had dark circles framing his green eyes. He felt years older than he was and every movement he made, he could feel the tension in his muscles.

Bennett moved away from the mirror and turned on the shower, reaching his hand in to test the water's temperature. He began stripping off his damp black shirt, wet from sweat and rain, and then his tight black jeans. Standing in just his underwear, Bennett glanced down the expanse of his long, pale body. He didn't know if it was the tension of the night eating away his mind but all he could see were his flaws. He was too pale; too skinny. He wasn't a genius like Lydia or as gorgeous as she was. He couldn't save those around him. He couldn't even keep his mom interested. He didn't understand why Stiles would ever be attracted to him. With a sigh, Bennett pulled his boxer-briefs off and climbed into the glass box, the hot water hitting his tired skin, instantly turning it bright pink.

Bennett picked up the bottle of body wash, pouring a dollop into his palm and working up a lather. He moved his hands across his lightly muscled torso before moving up and massaging it into his tight shoulders, the room filling with the smell of vanilla. He gave a moan of satisfaction as he began giving himself a small massage. Bennett pulled his hands away from his shoulders, stepping under the spray and letting the warm water wash over him.

As Bennett began reaching for the shampoo, he could feel the bottom of the shower drop from under him, the edges of his vision going black, and the bathroom fading from existence.

_The bindings around my wrists had been digging into the flesh from my struggling. Melissa was sweating heavily and she didn't look like she was in good shape. I had been down here longer than I could count and the smell of earth was starting to make me sick. The woman who brought me here hadn't been back in a while and that thought made me nervous. It meant she was out there hurting other people, possibly hurting Stiles and every time I had that thought, it made me struggle harder. _

_I can't die. Not like this._

_I couldn't leave Stiles alone._

_No mother. And if I give up now, no father._

_I could hear the click of her heels as she approached us. She had a smile on her face that ran my blood ice cold. I looked over at Melissa, her eyes trained on the other woman as she pulled a knife seemingly out of nowhere. I could feel my heart racing. I had been in life-threatening situations before but there was something about the atmosphere in this dank cellar that told me this time was different. This time I wouldn't make it out alive._

_"Look," I said to her, trying to reason with her. "You can do whatever you want to me, kill me if that's what you want, but let Melissa go. Please"_

_The woman looked down at me, a smile on her lips. She lowered the knife to my throat and held it there._

_"Don't be so eager to die Sherriff. Don't worry, you __**will**__ die tonight. And so will she but for your bravery, you will die first."_

_Before I could get the words out, she drew the blade across my throat quickly. There was a brief flash of pain as darkness began climbing along my vision. I could feel my burning hot essence dripping down the front of my uniform. The last thing I saw was Melissa's terrified face. The last thing I heard were her screams. The last thing I felt was regret._

Bennett began coughing as he was instantly snapped back to reality. He didn't know how long he had been in the shower but the water had turned cold. Turning it off, Bennett climbed out of the shower and wrapped the plush white towel around his body, shivering. He walked into his bedroom and pulled his pajamas out of the dresser before sliding the bottoms on.

_That vision was Stiles' father _Bennett thought, picking up his brush and raking it through his long hair. _He's going to die and so will Scott's mom. I can't let that happen. I can't._

Bennett set the brush down and took out a band, pulling his hair back into a ponytail and binding it. He stood from his bed and made his way over to the bedroom door, opening it and stepping out into the dark hallway. The house was completely silent, his aunt and uncle having went to bed a while ago. Glancing down the hall he could see that Lydia's bedroom light was still on. Padding across the soft carpet, Bennett made his way to the door, knocking lightly before opening it.

Lydia was sitting on her bed in her own pajamas, her hair still wet from her shower. She had the Book of Shadows on her lap and was furiously flipping its pages, her eyes searching for something.

"Lydia, what are you looking for?" Bennett asked walking over to her and pulling the book from her lap.

"I don't know. **Something!**" She said, panic rising in her voice. "She said I was a banshee. I have to find out what that is! I know of banshees from myth but I don't know what that has to do with me! And I was just getting used to the idea of being a witch!"

"Didi, calm down." Bennett said. He could feel her conflicting emotions- fear, confusion, and insecurity all tumbling together in a cyclone of raw emotion. Bennett could see she was starting to hyperventilate so he closed his eyes and sent a wave of calm in her direction. Instantly her breathing calmed back down and her heartbeat slowed.

"Thank you." She whispered, her red eyes downcast.

"Ok first of all, you just learned the basics of the Witch's Alphabet; you can't read half of the things in his book." Bennett said, trying to get her attention.

"Then I'll ask my mom to look for the answers if you won't help." She said finally meeting his eyes.

"I never said I wouldn't help you. Besides, your mom can't help you. Even though she could read it, she no longer has magick so the Book would recognize her as a mortal and the pages would appear blank to her." Bennett replied. He opened up the Book and began flipping through it for any references to banshees.

Bennett had been looking through the Book for a half hour when he found it. One page had a hand drawn picture of a woman on it. She was standing on a hilltop, clad in a long, flowing green gown blowing in the wind. Her long hair was whipping in the wind as her head was pointed towards the sky, her mouth wide open in a silent scream. The accompanying information was very short.

"I found it!" Bennett exclaimed. Lydia, who had been flipping through her Thermodynamics book, closed it and moved closer to Bennett.

"It says that when a powerful witch goes through a great emotional lose, her magick turns her into a banshee. A banshee or 'wailing woman' is a rare condition in which a witch seeks out lose like her own and screams for their shared pain. In ancient times, many saw her as an omen of death as her screams preceded the death of whoever heard her wail. The only ones who can hear the scream are those who are destined to die or those who can hear on higher frequencies. If the witch can resolve her lose, she may be able to reverse the curse."

"That's **it**?!" Lydia exclaimed, throwing her arms up. "So basically I'm the witch equivalent of a Kanima?"

"Yea, I guess so." Bennett said, closing the Book. "Do you want to talk about it? There has to be some great lose to have turned you into this."

"It's a lot of things, I guess." She said sighing. "My dad's never home, my mom ignores me, and the one person I thought understood me, left me and refuses to speak to me. It hurt, B. I tried to be strong and act like it didn't matter but Jackson hurt me in a way I'm not sure I can bounce back from. He was the first guy I ever loved, my first. He was the only person in my fucked up life who ever showed me he loved me. That meant something, y'know?"

"I do know." Bennett said, rubbing Lydia's back. "But you know, you always have me right? I mean, I know I haven't been around much but I've always been there for you, you could've talked to me about it."

"I know… I just need some time to think about all of this. I think I'm just going to go to bed. We can talk in the morning, Okay?"

"Okay. I'll see you in the morning. Good night." Bennett said. He stood up from the bed, lightly kissing Lydia on the forehead as she rolled over and turned her lamp off.

"Good night." Lydia responded as Bennett closed the door.

Bennett was walking down the hallway to his bedroom when he heard the sound of light knocking on the front door. He made his way down the stairs to the door before opening it. Standing on the other side was Stiles, completely soaking wet in the rain. Even though he was drenched, Bennett could tell he had been crying. His eyes were red and puffy and he refused to look up at Bennett.

"Stiles? What are you doing here? I thought you…"

"He left."

"What?" Bennett asked in confusion.

"He left…gone." Stiles responded, his voice lacking much emotion.

"Who? Your dad? Stiles, we'll find him, I promise." Bennett rationalized.

"No." he answered, finally meeting Bennett's eyes. In that instant, looking at Stiles broke Bennett's heart completely. He could no longer hide it, he was in love. "No. Scott."

Bennett offered no response except to pull Stiles into the house, locking the door behind them. Without any offer, Stiles walked silently up to Bennett's bedroom, Bennett following silently behind him. They entered the room, Bennett locking the door behind them. He knew it was going to be an emotional night for Stiles and he didn't want Lydia to walk in and see him like this. Stiles stood in the middle of the bedroom, his head again bowed, avoiding Bennett's critical gaze.

After a couple of minutes of tense silence, Bennett realized Stiles wasn't going to be the first to act so Bennett took the initiative and strode over to Stiles, grabbing the bottom of his wet shirt and pulling at it.

"Come on Stiles, we've got to get you out of these wet clothes. I would much rather not have you getting sick."

Stiles finally conceded and lifted his arms, allowing Bennett to pull the wet shirt over his head. Despite his best efforts, Bennett couldn't help but look at Stiles' naked torso. His clothes didn't do his body justice. He was skinny but lean, with a visible 6 pack popping from his stomach. Bennett pulled himself away from these thoughts and concentrated on helping his friend.

"I'm not going to take your pants off buddy, so I'll go outside and let you get undressed. There should be some dry pants and stuff in the bottom drawer." Bennett said, walking towards the bedroom door.

"Wait!" Stiles exclaimed. When Bennett turned and looked at him, he could see Stiles was looking back at him. He looked so broken but there was also a spark in his eyes Bennett hadn't seen before.

"Everyone I love seems to always leave me. My mom. My dad. And now Scott. Don't leave me…please." Stiles said. He wrapped his arms around himself and Bennett didn't know if it was from the cold or his vulnerability but Bennett knew he could never leave him.

"Stiles, I'm not going anywhere." Bennett responded. He walked over to Stiles and replaced his arms with his own, pouring as much love and support into that gesture as he could manage. Bennett could hear an almost relieved sigh escape Stiles' lips and it made him smile. When he pulled back Stiles was again looking at the ground, a blush spreading across his cheeks.

"Bennett, I… man I don't want to sound like a girl…" Stiles said before taking a deep breath. "I want you to make love to me. I want you to be my first."

Flabbergasted, Bennett tried to respond but no sound came out.

"I get it." Stiles said dejectedly. "I just…I don't want to hurt anymore tonight."

Bennett shattered into a billion pieces at the lost puppy look Stiles was giving him.

"No Stiles, I want to!" Bennett responded, glancing down at Stiles' shirtless body. "**Trust me**, I want to but if we do this, I want it to be something you want to do. I don't want you to do this because you're sad."

"Bennett, I love you. I'm not sure of a lot of things right now but I'm positive that I love you. I want this so much. I want to be happy and I know you can make me happy. I know I can make **you** happy. I just can't go back to an empty house."

Bennett wrapped his arms around Stiles' neck and pulled him into a kiss. Both were hesitant at first but when Bennett could feel Stiles' tongue seeking entrance, the heat in the room rose and the two of them grew more passionate. Their tongues did an internal dance as Bennett's hands moved from Stiles' neck to his hips, his fingers quickly working at the button of Stiles' jeans. Stiles gave out a throaty moan as Bennett pushed his hand into Stiles' jeans and began massaging his growing erection to full hardness.

Bennett pulled his hands out of Stiles' underwear and in one sweep yanked his jeans and underwear from his body, briefly breaking contact. As Bennett was helping Stiles out of his jeans, he looked up and came face to face with Stiles' cock. It was perfectly straight, cut, and appeared to be at least seven and a half inches long, slightly bigger than Bennett's own uncut seven inches.

Bennett wrapped his hands around Stiles' cock and gave it one pull, drawing another moan from Stiles' kiss-swollen lips. The pink head was so beautiful to Bennett as a drop of precum formed on the tip. Bennett began to slowly lick its length before engulfing the head into his mouth. Bennett could hear Stiles muttering his name like a mantra as he slowly took all of Stiles into his mouth, his hands moving from his thick patch of pubes to massage his heavy balls.

Stiles began slowly moving his hips, pumping into Bennett's willing mouth, his moans growing louder with each thrust.

"Bennett, stop." Stiles said, halting his thrusting as Bennett pulled off his dick. There was a light sheen of sweat on Stiles' forehead, his face was flushed, and his breathing was coming in short bursts.

"Ok, if you want to stop, it's fine. I won't be mad." Bennett said, standing up.

"If you don't stop, I'm going to cum. I-I want you to…I want you to fuck me." Stiles replied nervously.

"Are you sure?" Bennett asked.

"Oh, I'm sure." Stiles responded. He dropped to his knees and slowly pulled down Bennett's pajama bottoms. He was already rock hard and leaking precum. Stiles grabbed the base of Bennett's cock and slowly wrapped his lips around it trying to repeat what Bennett had done to him.

Bennett gave a small jump before looking down at Stiles' curious eyes.

"Watch your teeth, babe." He said with a smile on his face. Stiles pulled off and nodded before covering his teeth and doing it again. This time, Bennett threw his head back and moaned, moving his hands through Stiles' short hair as he began thrusting into Stiles' mouth.

After several minutes of this, Bennett pulled Stiles off of him and lifted him so that they were face to face. Bennett stared into Stiles' eyes, so full of love but clouded by his lust. Bennett brought his lips crashing into Stiles' red lips, their tongues battling for dominance as Bennett guided them to the bed. The two of them fell back, Bennett above Stiles as he pulled their lips apart, their foreheads resting against each other.

"Ok, get on your hands and knees." Bennett said lifting himself off of the other boy. Stiles gave a nod as he rolled over and got into position, his virgin hole looking at Bennett and winking in anticipation.

Bennett placed a hand on each cheek and spread Stiles further, slowly bringing his face to Stiles' entrance. He stuck out his tongue and moved it across the smooth, tiny hole, a moan escaping Stiles' lips. Bennett could see him fisting the bed sheets, his breathing becoming heavy.

"Oh my god Ben, that feels amazing!" Stiles responded.

With a smile, Bennett continued his ministrations, working his tongue over Stiles' hole before plunging his tongue into him repeatedly. Stiles was in a frenzy as Bennett continued rimming him. His moans were now one continuous sound and he had begun to push back into Bennett's tongue.

"Lie on your back." Bennett said, pulling his face from Stiles' hole. Stiles obliged, lying down and rolling over. The tip of his cock was bright pink and precum was flowing heavily from it. Bennett reached out and rubbed his hand into it causing Stiles to close his eyes, throw his head back and moan again.

Bennett took his hand and licked two fingers before positioning one at Stiles' opening, applying slight pressure.

"Relax, baby." He said when his finger wouldn't go in. He began gently massaging the outside and slowly his finger sank into Stiles. He began slowly but picked up the pace when he saw Stiles was getting used to it. When he was sure he was ready, Bennett pushed a second finger in, Stiles moaning. This went on for a couple of minutes before Bennett added a third finger. Stiles had begun moving in synch with Bennett's thrusting fingers, his cock never losing its hardness.

"Ben baby, I need you inside of me right now!" He panted through half-lidded eyes.

Bennett pulled his fingers out and gestured at his bedside table. The drawer slowly opened and a tube of lube lifted from its insides to float to Bennett's outstretched hand. Squirting some into his palm, Bennett rubbed the lube onto his cock before squirting some on Stiles' hole. When he was sufficiently lubed, Bennett positioned himself at Stiles' entrance and slowly pushed into him. He sank slowly into Stiles, pausing every few inches to get him used to the feeling before he was fully in. He stood still while Stiles adjusted, his hot tight entrance milking Bennett's cock.

Bennett began moving in and out as Stiles started making small mewing noises that were driving Bennett insane. As he began picking up tempo, Stiles' noises grew louder and his moans more throaty.

"Oh Ben, yes! That feels so good. Oh, baby fuck me!" Stiles repeated. Bennett thought he looked so beautiful with his face and chest flushed, his legs spread apart.

When Bennett began hitting Stiles' prostrate, Stiles let out a loud moan before grabbing his own cock and pumping it in time with Bennett's thrusting. Every thrust Bennett made hit that sweet spot inside of Stiles that brought him closer and closer to completion.

"Ben, baby, I'm so close." Stiles said, pumping furiously at his cock.

"Me too babe, me too." Bennett responded, thrusting faster into Stiles.

Bennett was so close; he could feel it working from his stomach down to his dick. They were both moaning wildly now, so close to climax. Bennett had moved his hands from Stiles' upraised thighs and began tweaking Stiles' hard nipples, causing him to moan even more.

"Oh god dude, I'm about to cum. Oh shit…shit…" Stiles said, his hand flying across his red cock. "I'm cumming!" He nearly screamed as jets of cum shot from his cock, coating his chest and stomach.

The sight of Stiles cumming sent Bennett over the edge, moaning heavily as he released himself inside of Stiles.

Bennett leaned down and gave Stiles a small peck, slowly pulling himself from Stiles' used hole and falling on the bed next to him. They were both sweating and out of breath as they were coming down from their high.

"Ben, that was amazing! I love you." Stiles said, turning to look at Bennett. Bennett grabbed Stiles' left hand and kissed his knuckles.

"I love you too babe." Bennett responded. He looked down at Stiles' cum covered body and smiled.

"We need to get you cleaned. _Poika lye!_" He said, his eyes growing dark momentarily. The cum on Stiles' body simply vanished, leaving him clean but still slightly flushed.

"Dude, that was kind of weird." Stiles said smiling while rubbing the spot the cum had just vanished from.

"It was faster. Come here." Bennett said. He began climbing under the blankets and opening his arms. Stiles took the hint and climbed up next to him, slipping under the blankets and into Bennett's arms. Bennett placed a kiss on the back of Stiles' head before gesturing towards the light, turning it off.

The world around them was less than perfect but in this moment, Stiles in his arms, Bennett had never felt more perfect in his life. He slowly drifted off to sleep knowing that he was in love with his soulmate and for once in his life, that didn't scare him.

* * *

_ All I see are flashes._

_ Nothing's complete._

_ The future is in chaos._

_ Yellow eyes._

_ Dripping water._

_ I can hear a girl scream. I can smell Stiles._

_ Something's different._

_ Something's wrong._

_All I see is flashes._

_And then I see pain._

_Stiles_

_And Lydia_

_Kissing._

_Darkness._

Bennett's eyes flew open and he pulled himself from Stiles' embrace. Throwing himself out of bed, he ran to the bathroom. He could feel the bile rising up his throat as he threw the lid of the toilet up. In the background he could faintly hear Stiles ask him if he was okay.

Bennett watched as the contents of his stomach flew from his body into the porcelain pool of water. He watched as it swirled and disappeared.

He couldn't believe what he had seen. He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it himself.

The two people he loved and trusted the most were going to betray him. He could feel the tears before he knew he was crying. He could feel Stiles wrap his arms around him and kiss his temple. He could feel the cold tiles of the floor digging into his knees.

But inside, he felt nothing.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

I'm not entirely happy with this chapter so I'll probably edit it a little more.

I hope you guys don't feel like I copped out with that Banshee explanation but I think it made sense… *shifty eyes*

This was my very first full on sex scene so be gentle. I actually had to watch porn and dictate what they were doing. I mean, yea, I've had sex but it's a little harder to describe. Shut up. Also because I'm not very emotional, whenever there's an emotional scene, I kind of just have to go with every sappy cliché I can think of!

I don't know why but I always see Stiles as a bottom no matter who he's paired with! Also the show needs more shirtless Stiles scenes. If you haven't seen Dylan O'Brien shirtless on New Girl or in that photo spread where he's in the wet clinging shirt in the shower you're missing out!

The spell he used _("poika lye!") _means "clean us!"

The relationships are all kind of messed up now. It's super obvious Isaac and Allison are going to hookup, Stiles and Lydia are going to kiss (which is surprising because Stiles doesn't seem like he's still into her) and Stiles kind of implied he wanted to kiss Cora. Stiles' dad and Scott's mom are getting closer to getting together which I endorse! And I almost died when Stiles asks Jennifer/Julia where his dad is and he's all sad and crying.


	9. Chapter 9- Truth or Dare

*****This chapter does not correspond with an episode*

**CHAPTER 9- TRUTH OR DARE**

Bennett slowly cracked open his eyes, peering in the dark room. The sun hadn't risen yet and he could no longer feel Stiles' arms wrapped around him and in the short time they had been together, he began to realize he liked the feeling. Bennett rolled over to face Stiles but when he did, instead of seeing a sleeping Stiles, he saw Stiles was staring at him with a smile on his face, his hair sticking up in every direction. Even though he looked insanely comical, the only thought that crossed Bennett's mind was how hot Stiles looked right now and how much he loved the boy.

"Jesus Stiles!" Bennett exclaimed, yanking the blankets over his head. "That is so fucking creepy! Why are you watching me sleep?"

Stiles reached over and, still smiling, gently pulled the blankets from Bennett's head.

"Because I'm happy. When I first realized my feelings for you were more than physical, I was scared shitless. I never would have dreamed you would like me back. I mean, you're something special. But now that I know the truth, everything else doesn't seem so bad. Besides, didn't you tell me you used to watch me sleep?"

"Yea, well…it was a lot less 'the call is coming from inside the house' when I did it. Why aren't you asleep anyway? What time is it?" Bennett asked, looking around for his phone.

Stiles reached over and pulled Bennett back into his arms, enveloping the other boy in his embrace. "It's 5 am. I can't go back to sleep. I know we've only been sleeping for a few hours but I'm like supercharged."

"Yea, surprisingly me too, especially considering what we just did. Shit, we have to up for school in 2 hours." Bennett replied, pushing his body further into Stiles'.

The two teenage boys laid in comfortable silence for several minutes, both thinking about where their lives had taken them.

Bennett thought about how quickly he found himself falling for Stiles, even though they had only known each other for a month. He worried that because they were moving so fast, they would fizzle out just as quickly. It also worried him that he was uncertain where his future would take him after the Darach was dealt with. He knew his mother would want to go back to San Francisco but he wasn't so sure he wanted to give up this feeling; this moment. His other thoughts were centered on the kiss he had seen in his vision. He didn't want to believe that they would do that to him but he saw it with his own inner eye. He knew he didn't want to bring it up with Stiles. Vision's worked oddly; he didn't know if by telling Stiles about the kiss is what made them kiss in the first place and he wasn't ready to take his chances.

Stiles thought about his father and if he were safe and alive. He knew he should be a mess but lying in this bed with Bennett in his arms had a calming effect on him and calmed the storm that had been raging within him the last few hours. He didn't have the heart to tell Bennett that he actually had not slept at all; his mind a jumble of thoughts and feelings about Scott and his dad he wasn't sure he was ready to share. He also thought about the look on Scott's face on the rooftop last night when Stiles had pleaded with him not to leave and he just left, leaving Stiles a broken man. But he had Bennett. And Bennett had helped pull him back together again but he was worried Bennett would tire of him and leave him just like everyone else he loved. That thought made him pull Bennett into him harder and squeeze a little tighter.

"So, what were you dreaming about?" Stiles asked, gingerly smelling Bennett's hair and placing a kiss on the back of his head.

"I actually don't dream." Bennett replied turning to face Stiles.

"What?! How can you not dream?" Stiles asked, surprise dominating his features.

"Witches don't dream. If I'm not having a dreaming vision, I see nothing."

The surprise on Stiles' face smoothed over, slowly being replaced by a look of curiosity.

"So do you only have visions when you're asleep?"

"No," Bennett replied "but it's easier to receive a vision while asleep because your mind is more relaxed so they slip in a lot easier."

"Where do your visions come from?" Stiles asked. He reached underneath the covers and grabbed Bennett's hand, bringing it up to his lips and kissing it. Now that he had Bennett, he didn't realize how badly he wanted him until now. The feeling was strong; it even surprised Stiles. He knew Bennett could sense his emotions so he tried his hardest not to broadcast his feelings and scare Bennett away. Something inside of him told him they were perfect for each other.

Bennett took a moment to contemplate the question Stiles had just asked him before answering.

"Honestly, I don't know. Different witches believe different things; some believe God gives them to us, other believe some kind of outside, shapeless form sends them to us, it really depends on the person. I like to believe the universe allows me to see what I need to see when I need to see it."

"So, do all witches believe in God?"

"No, we're witches but we're still human. Different witches have different belief systems and different ways of explaining how they got their powers. So there are Catholic witches, Christian witches, even Mormon witches. For the most part, being a witch is a religion in itself."

Stiles' serious expression quickly morphed into a grin that moved from one ear to the other.

"As if Mormon's didn't have enough crazy to worry about already! So what do **you** believe?"

"Well, my dad is Jewish and my mom is very eclectic. I'm somewhere in the middle. I believe in the power of Nature, the universe and reincarnation like my mom but I'd like to think there's a higher power watching over me and I'd like to think Heaven is real." Bennett replied, a small smile on his face.

"What about your brother?" Stiles asked.

"Vartan is so much like our dad, it's scary. Vartan doesn't see magick the way mom and I do, he just sees it as something that makes him different but he wouldn't change like a weird birthmark or something. He's Jewish like dad. Our parents made a deal before I was born that they would let us choose and Vartan chose to be Jewish, he even got circumcised when he 10. Mom hated it; she said he was butchering the perfect body the Goddess had given him."

"So you don't know what happens when someone dies? I just thought that maybe if you knew I would know what happened to my mom, y'know?" Stiles had gotten an air of sadness at the mention of his mother.

"I'm sorry Stiles but I don't know. I do know that some witches claim to be able to summon spirits but I've never actually seen a ghost." Bennett said. He began smoothing Stiles' unruly hair down before placing a hand on either side of his face. "But believe me when I say that wherever she is, she's watching over you and I **know** she would be proud of you."

"I know." Stiles replied looking into Bennett's eyes.

"She would have liked you." He said, placing a small kiss on Bennett's lips. "So…where do witches come from?"

"Again, I don't know. There's only so much history we know ourselves because for a long time, there were no records kept. My own Book of Shadows doesn't start until well into the 18th century."

"That book creeps me out." Stiles said, a shiver running down his spine.

"Why?"

"It's because you and Lydia would sit there pouring over that book and talking about what was in it, pointing at things but every time I looked at it, it just looked like you were looking at blank pages."

"Oh. That's because there's a shitload of super powerful spells on it. Being a witch means we have to keep a lot of secrets; secrets I can't even tell you. We have to be very careful about who we trust, especially when so many people can get hurt from the knowledge within it. The last time someone let another person know our secrets, the witch trials began."

"Wait, like the Salem Witch Trials?!" Stiles exclaimed, the now familiar look of surprise working its way back onto his face.

"Well they took place all over the world but yes, some of the people killed were actually witches. Not many, but there were casualties."

"But how?" Stiles asked. "Don't you have spells to teleport or stop time? At least a spell to make it rain?"

"Time magick can only be done by really powerful witches and translocation is dangerous. Besides, like I said, they trusted the wrong person; someone who knew about vervain and what it does to our powers."

"So how did you guys bounce back from that?" Stiles asked. He slowly turned from Bennett and slid into his arms. Almost instantly, Bennett responded by enclosing his arms around Stiles' lithe form. It almost seemed natural to the two of them being so close to each other.

"We learned from our mistakes. We made precautions to ensure our safety. It's why we decided to use Witch Names."

"What are Witch Names?"

"Witch Names or Craft Names is something that was invented sometime in the 1800s. Witches decided that they needed code names to hide their identities when writing letters to other witches and things like that. They also used the names during Sabbaths and private meetings which was beneficial because at that time witches wore masks. So if a witch chose to accuse another witch, they wouldn't know who it was. We stopped wearing masks but we continued using Witch Names."

"What's yours?" Stiles asked.

"Sorry love, I can't tell you. Literally. The ritual we perform during The Naming has an Oath of Secrecy in it which binds us from telling anyone outside of our circle our Craft Names."

"So what exactly as Sabbaths?"

"There's debate on if they're called Sabbaths or Sabbats but it's generally a meeting of witches. It could be anything from a discussion on a potion recipe to a new birth, to a holiday gathering."

"You guys have holidays."

At this, Bennett began to laugh. He couldn't see Stiles' face but he imagined he sported a look of confusion and affront.

"Of course we have holidays. There's only four- The Spring Equinox, The Summer Solstice, The Fall Equinox, and The Winter Solstice. Most witches celebrate mortal holidays as well if they choose a belief system that has these traditions but our holiday match pretty closely to mortal holidays. Our Fall Equinox corresponds with Halloween, even though the true Autumn Equinox is in September but we chose to celebrate it during our New Year. The Winter Solstice is only days before Christmas. The Spring Equinox corresponds with your Easter. You'd be surprised how many traditions you mortals have today that are based on our beliefs."

"The really cool!" Stiles said, his voice taking on an air of wonder. "Could I ever come to one of these Sabbaths?"

"Actually, you can." Bennett replied. "A lot of mortals come to events we have. Most of them are Wiccans but anyone's welcome. There are certain things we do that mortals can't witness but otherwise, they're pretty open. Maybe I'll bring you to our Samhain festivities."

"Sow-wen?"

"Basically it's Halloween. It's when the veil between all the worlds are thinnest so if we could summon a spirit, that would be a night to do it."

Bennett pulled Stiles closer to his body, their body heat melding together creating a different kind of magick. Even though Stiles turned him on to no end, the emotion radiating between them wasn't sexual. He genuinely cared for Stiles and that thought sent a warm wave through his body.

"Any other questions?" Bennett asked Stiles.

"Yea, do all witches have the same powers as you?"

"For the most part, yes. All witches have visions, can move objects with their minds, can read and influence minds and emotions, and can astral project. But only a few powerful witches, like myself, can influence the four elements of Nature. I'm pretty new at that so I'm still learning. And of course we can all cast spells and make potions and stuff."

"Just how powerful are you?" Stiles inquired.

"My mom says I'm the strongest in our family to date but I share that title with Lydia now but because of some stuff she's going through, I'm reigning solo right now. My mom thinks the two of us are so powerful because we draw our magick from Beacon Hills which has so much magickal energy it's not even funny. The fact that we're the only ones drawing from it makes us even more powerful."

"So if a witch had a baby tomorrow on this land, would you guys get weaker?"

"Yes but not by much. The amount of magick a witch baby can use is very small but as it got stronger, we would get slightly weaker. It's not like an unlimited supply. But there are factors which can influence power levels. Genealogy is the biggest factor. If you come from a powerful family, your chances of being powerful are higher. The amount of witches in relation to the size of the land is another factor. Also the oldest witch of that land, The Alpha, has first dibs on the magick and they're the ones who call the shots in all witch matters. If we leave our lands, we'll still be drawing our magick from our lands but the distance away from it will affect our magick strength."

"Wow, those are a lot of odds stacked against you." Stiles said smiling.

"It's not so bad. There's more magick in the world than you think so there's a lot to draw on and it's not like the magick we use just goes out into the world and disappears. Magick is neither created nor destroyed."

"Somehow, I don't think that's what Lavoisier meant!"

"Wow Stiles, Lavoisier before breakfast! I think intelligence is very sexy. Oh, I forgot! The phases of the moon affect our powers."

"What do you mean?"

"On new moons, we're at our weakest. We're by no means weak just not as strong as we could be. On full moons we're at our strongest. On lunar eclipses, we are completely powerless; mortal."

"Ummm…Bennett baby, you are aware there's a lunar eclipse coming up right?" Stiles said slightly turning towards Bennett.

"Shit, you're right! I completely forgot!" Bennett said. He pulled away from Stiles and was about to climb out of bed when Stiles pulled him back in and they switch positions. Bennett was now wrapped in Stiles' arms again. It was a cuddling tango and it was now Stiles' turn to lead.

"Don't worry babe, I'll protect you. You'll be fine, I promise."

Sighing, Bennett responded.

"You're right, I'll be fine. With all the wolves we know, everything will be fine." Bennett said. The panic he had felt was starting to dissipate and his heartbeat was slowing back down but there was still uncertainty in his mind. He hated being without his powers; the night he was affected by vervain confirmed this. It was so much a part of himself that without them he felt heavy and bound, a stark contrast to the unbridled freedom magick gave him. But all magick would be gone during the eclipse, not just witch's magick, so all of his charms would be useless and all the protection spells he's cast on Lydia and Stiles' houses and on Lydia and Stiles themselves would temporarily lose their power. The thought of their imminent danger scared him more than his own powerlessness and he knew the wolves would be just as powerless but he couldn't tell Stiles and risk him freaking out as well. He had too much to worry about already.

"So what's the deal with the whole land thing anyway? Why is land so important to witches?"

"It's not just witches, land is important to everyone. Wolves protect their territory. Mortals cherish the places they find familiar. The reason land is so important to us is because whenever anyone is born, whether they're mortal or witch, the act of creation releases magick into the world. The magick that's released connects to the magick that's already present on the lands and connects the lands to the person whose magick was released. Because the amount of magick mortals have is so small, they don't notice the connection but when a witch is born, they release a higher amount of magick so our connection to the land is stronger. We simply exploit that connection. If I wanted to, I could hear the thoughts of everyone born on this land; I could feel all of their emotions. It's why I only get visions of people connected to the land that I'm connected to. Except wolves, they're like magickal black holes."

"Why?"

"Because witches are beings of Nature and wolves are anything but natural."

"Makes sense. So why haven't the Argents come after you yet?"

"Hunters leave witches alone since we both fight for the same thing- the protection of humans. They won't hunt us until one of us goes warlock. They do watch me like a hawk to make sure I don't go dark side though."

They settled into comfortable silence again, something they found they could easily do without feeling like they had to fill the empty space with words. They had both been in heavy contemplation when Stiles broke the silence.

"You know it's funny. I surround myself with people who can do some pretty badass things and yet I'm just the weak little human who can't do anything but get myself in trouble."

"First of all Stiles, you're not weak. Your connection to the mortal world is an asset not a weakness. I love how human you are. You know, my entire life people have had to protect me. My mom has protected me when magick is involved. My dad felt he had to protect me from the world. And Vartan is the definition of protection. My parents always said Vartan should have been born first. He acts like the protective big brother. But I like that I can protect you. Not because you need protection but because I love you and you protect the ones you love."

"But I just feel like…I can't help to think that maybe if I had been stronger, if I had wolf strength or something, I could've saved my dad from being taken."

"No Stiles that was not your fault. Believe me. Even if you had the power, it wouldn't have helped. Look at Scott, he has power and he still couldn't stop her. She's strong; maybe too strong. And I can't even ask my mom for help since she refuses to answer my calls. I tried my brother and he won't answer either. It's starting to worry me."

"Hey babe, they're fine. I'm sure there's some explanation for why they're not answering. Did you try your magick?"

"Yep and I got nothing. I think they're blocking me for some reason…or they're dead."

"They are not dead Bennett. Your mom's not dead and neither is my dad. They're both fine."

Bennett hesitated. He knew that Stiles' father was going to die but he couldn't bring himself to say the words aloud; he couldn't make himself say the words. A part of him hoped he wouldn't have to be the one to tell him but he refused to start this relationship off with lies so he braced himself for the fallout.

"Stiles," he said, turning Stiles in his direction. "I had a vision. I saw your dad die. I saw that bitch kill him and then she killed Scott's mom."

Bennett waited for Stiles to blow but he sat there in complete silence, staring into Bennett's green eyes. Bennett couldn't read the expression on his face and the lack of emotion scared him a little bit.

"Stiles?" He asked concerningly.

There was silence for another minute before the light returned to his eyes and he spoke.

"Your visions, they're not set in stone right?"

"No, they're merely a glimpse into a possible future; the future that's most likely to happen."

"So that means we can change it. We **will** change it. My dad is not going to die. If I have to pull a Superman and run backwards to rewind time, I'm saving my father."

The conviction in his voice both terrified and excited Bennett. He had never seen this side of Stiles before and he liked the passion. It reminded him of the same passion he put into their lovemaking.

"Whoa!" Stiles said, his eyes growing wide as he stared at Bennett.

"What?"  
"All of a sudden, I got really horny…was that you? Did you Push me?"

"No, I promise. I was turned on by your little speech though, maybe I…oh shit!"

"Ben, what is it?!"

"I just remembered something I probably should have told you before we had sex."

"…what is it?"

"You see when a witch spends a lot of time around someone from their lands, the connection between them strengthens. It makes it easier for the witch to locate them or hear them when they're not around. But if a witch has sex with someone from their lands, it makes an even stronger connection."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, now not only can I feel your emotions but you can feel mine."

Instead of freaking out, Stiles' mouth drew into a cocky but seductive grin.

"Just think of how fun that's going to make the next time we have sex." He replied, his smirking growing as one of his eyebrows began to lift.

Bennett's face began to morph to mock the expression Stiles had, his own arousal hitting him like a ton of bricks. The sensation was stronger than he had ever experienced; every emotion- arousal, excitement, and love were all stronger and it was making the room warmer than it had been minutes again. Bennett slowly began moving his face towards Stiles' when something to his right caught his attention.

"Oh shit Stiles look!" Bennett said gesturing towards the window. They had been talking for longer than they thought and the sun was beginning to peek across the horizon, painting the sky in watercolor display of blues, yellows, and orange. "We have to get ready for school."

"Ugh! Come on, just a quickie!" Stiles replied throwing himself back into the pillows with a groan.

"It's probably for the best, you're not getting into my panties again that easy. You gotta take me out on a date first. I'm a lady."

"Yea but the lady's a tramp." Stiles smirked.

Bennett climbed out of bed and was walking towards the bathroom when he stopped and turn towards Stiles.

"Stiles? What are we now? Are we boyfriends? Friends with benefits? Are we going to tell people about this…unless you want to keep it quiet? I would understand if you did. I wouldn't want you to come out at school and stuff if you're not ready. Are you even gay?" Bennett asked, turning his gaze down to the ground. He couldn't look up and meet Stiles' eyes for fear of the inevitable rejection that was bound to come.

Bennett could hear the sheets ruffle as Stiles climbed out of bed and walk towards him.

"Dude, I just got fucked in the ass by another guy…that's pretty fucking gay!"

When he got no reply from Bennett, Stiles reached out and pulled Bennett's face up so he could look in his eyes but Bennett still refused to make eye contact.

"Honestly? I don't think I'm gay. I still like girls but I'm not going to say the thought of having sex with a guy doesn't excite me equally as much so I guess I'm bi. And I would hope you're my boyfriend since I don't think I could just be friends with you. I love you way too much for that."

At this declaration Bennett finally looked up into Stiles' eyes and he could literally see the love he had for Bennett and it felt so good, it hurt. Bennett never thought he would get this.

"What about the people at school? What about your dad? Don't you care what they'll say?"

"Yes and no. Look, I know my dad and I know he's not going to care. He's not like that. Besides you're gay and my dad loves you! And the people at school barely know I exist, I don't think they're going to even notice if I make out with you in the hallway. And I **will **be making out with you in the hallway! If Ethan and Danny can, we definitely can." Stiles said beaming.

His smiles were infectious and Bennett was soon sporting a similar look.

"God, ever since I told you I love you, I've been acting like such a girl!" Bennett said, turning around and walking towards the bathroom door.

"You're right but I wouldn't say you were much of a man before."

"Says the guy who was bent over like a little bitch!"

"Shut up you! Just wait, tonight it's gonna be your turn, then we'll see who's the bitch." Stiles replied walking up behind Bennett and grabbing his ass, eliciting a yelp from Bennett's lips.

Bennett didn't know what would happen in the coming week, he didn't know if the vision he saw of Stiles and Lydia kissing was going to come true and at the moment, he didn't really care. Because for the first time since arriving in Beacon Hills he was happy. Completely, utterly, deliriously happy and it was thanks to one boy. A boy he dreamed about years ago when they were both 8 and he was mourning the death of his mother. Bennett promised himself that one day he would tell Stiles that he had fallen in love with him the first time he saw him. He would tell him how much he loved him when Sheriff Stilinski brought home a puppy to cheer him up. He would tell him how he saw the way he cried when the puppy ran away. And Bennett would tell Stiles that even when miles apart, Bennett knew that one day they would be in this very moment. A moment that may not last forever but a moment was all they needed right now.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

So I basically wrote this chapter for 2 reasons. The most important reason was because I wanted to address some points about their relationship that I didn't feel I could explore in only 2 chapters and the other reason is because I felt like there was a lot of witch mythology that I never got to talk about so I wanted to have a chapter where everything is addressed and the audience gets the full lowdown on witches. Originally this was supposed to be the beginning of the next chapter, Alpha Pact but I ended up making it longer than I thought it would be. If anyone has anymore questions about witches, just let me know and I'll throw it into the next chapters.

Also I don't think I'll have to put it in the story but Dahlia's (Lydia's mom) Craft name is _Bartuma _(pronounced bar-too-ma) which means "valley-dweller" and Lydia's would have been _Vanya _(pronounced vaun-ee-a) which means "beautiful".

Originally, even before writing the story, I knew Bennett was going to have had visions about Stiles since they were kids and originally I had Bennett having seen Stiles' mom death but I omitted that last part cuz I feel like it would have brought up too many sad memories when Stiles is already going through so much.


	10. Chapter 10- Alpha Pact Pt 1

Warning: This chapter contains gay sex. I also changed the events which happened at the beginning of this episode to better fit the progression of this story. Enjoy.

**CHAPTER 10- ALPHA PACT PT. 1**

Bennett smiled as the water cascaded down his back, each drop accompanied by the brush of Stiles' lips on his skin. They had started off with a simple shower but in his eagerness, Stiles began to take things a step further. Bennett could feel his hands exploring and caressing every part he could possibly touch, mapping out every contour with his fingertips. Bennett wondered how far this whole thing would go in the spacious shower and he got his answer when he backed up and could feel Stiles' excitement nudging his left cheek.

At this point, Stiles was fiercely lavishing Bennett's throat with licks and kissing, bringing moans from Bennett's lips as Stiles kept hitting his spots. He knew there would be a mark later and he was okay with that. Bennett turned to face Stiles, both of their faces glazed with lust and smiled before feverously devouring Stiles' lips, their tongues dancing with each other as their lips molded to fit perfectly together. Bennett brought his hand up to Stiles' short hair and yanked it back gently but forcefully, giving him access to Stiles' long throat. He began kissing and nibbling along the pale column, making Stiles gasp and sigh, muttering pleasing noises that turned Bennett on greatly.

Bennett moved from his neck, kissing his way past his collarbone to his rock hard pink nipples. Bennett placed a small kiss on each one before taking the right one into his mouth, sucking and nibbling on it while his hand teased and pinched the left one. At this, Stiles threw his head back and moaned, his hands lifting from his sides and entwining into Bennett's long wet hair, urging him to continue. Bennett paid attention to the right nipple for a minute more before repeating his attentions onto the left one. The whole time, Bennett could feel the length of his body rubbing against Stiles' hardness, his own member leaking onto the shower floor.

Bennett moved down and kissed each individual ab before dragging his tongue down the crevice, entangling his tongue in the trail of hair leading to his prize. Bennett ran his hands up Stiles' thin legs as his mouth moved down. He was now at eye level with Stiles' cock, the pink tip leaking precum down its length. Bennett gripped Stiles' cock and lifted it, bringing his face to his balls and giving them both a lick before taking one into his mouth. While doing this, Bennett worked Stiles' erection, bringing loud moans from Stiles' mouth. Bennett took one hand off of his cock and used it to massage Stiles' balls and pubes. Bennett continued sucking and lightly tugging on Stiles' balls, the entire time the other boy was mumbled almost incoherently, his words a mix of moans, words, and groans.

After doing this for several more minutes, Bennett pulled away and stopped his ministrations of jerking Stiles' cock. He then stuck out his tongue and licked the length of Stiles causing Stiles to shudder. He could taste Stiles' salty excitement on his tongue and this urged him on. After licking the length, Bennett began tonguing the head, dipping his tongue into the slit and massaging the head with his tongue before opening his mouth and enveloping Stiles' cock in one sweep. Stiles' eyes flew open and instinctly, he thrust his hips forward mashing his pubes into Bennett's nose. Bennett slowly backed off of his cock and wrapped one hand around the base while he wrapped the other around his balls. He began to work up a rhythm as his mouth and hand worked Stiles' long cock and his other hand gently tugged his heavy balls.

The sensations that were happening were even more for Bennett to bear. Their emotional connection was at its height and Bennett could not only feel his own arousal but Stiles' and he could feel himself growing closer and closer to climax as he know Stiles was as well.

"Bennett!" Stiles panted. "Bennett, pull off I'm about to cum."

But Bennett ignored his declaration and sped up, bringing them both to the edge.

"Bennett… baby, I'm cumming!" Stiles shouted, his essence shooting from his cock and into Bennett's mouth. Bennett felt himself cum at the same times Stiles had, spilling his seed all over the shower floor, his hand never touching himself.

"That…was…amazing!" Stiles panted out, trying to catch his breath. Bennett stood up, giving Stiles a quick peek on the lips before reaching behind him and shutting the shower off.

"Glad you liked it." He replied smiling. "Now we need to get out. We're probably already late for school."

Bennett climbed out of the shower, Stiles walking behind him and grabbed a towel for each of them. In the other room, Stiles could hear his phone beeping so he quickly dried off before going into the bedroom.

"Actually we're not going to school." Stiles said as Bennett entered the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist and a smaller one drying his hair.

"What? Why not?" Bennett asked.

"That was just a text from Allison. They think Jennifer is going to come after Chris Argent, her father. They want you, Lydia, and me to go to the school and question Morrell. They think she might know where Jennifer's keeping my dad."

The two boys proceeded to get dressed and they walked down the hall to Lydia's room just as Mrs. Martin was leaving. She quickly greeted the boys before walking past them and continuing down the hall. Bennett entered Lydia's bedroom first, taking in Lydia's attire for the day. She was wearing a light blue long sleeved dress, a pair of tan ankle boots, and her strawberry blonde hair had been pulled back and braided.

"Hey Didi, digging this whole sister-wife look you've got going today." Bennett said with a smirk.

"Oh haha Ben. I'm sorry my wardrobe doesn't consist of nothing but black clothes like some people in this room." She replied.

"Hey now, black is always in style!" Bennett said, walking into the room and sitting on her bed. "So, why was your mom in here?"

"I don't know. After what happened last night, she came in here and it was like when we were kids. I guess me almost being murder was enough motivation for her to stop ignoring me."

Stiles walked in behind Bennett, giving a small wave in Lydia's direction before joining Bennett on her bed.

"Lydia, we're gonna need you." He said.

"What do you mean?" She replied giving herself a final glance in her vanity mirror before turning around to look at Stiles.

"Allison, Isaac, and Mr. Argent are going to go to the vault to lure Jennifer there while me, you, and Bennett are tasked with finding my father and Scott's mom."

"Ok," she replied, grabbing her bag off the chair in the corner of her room. "But what's Scott doing?"

"Scott…he's a little tied up right now." Stiles replied. The look Lydia gave him indicated she wanted him to elaborate further. "Scott left me last night at the hospital to go with Deucalion. He's with them now."

"I don't believe it." Lydia said, pulling the chair over to the boys and sitting down in front of Bennett and Stiles. She couldn't believe the words Stiles was telling her. Scott would never betray them like that. "Scott can't really be with them. He can't."

"You didn't see the look on his face." Stiles replied. All night he had tried not to think about it but now that he had to explain it to Lydia, the pain of watching his best friend abandon him welled up inside of him, weighing heavily on his heart. Bennett grabbed Stiles' hand and gently rubbed it as a show of comfort. He could feel the pain Stiles was going through trying to explain the situation to Lydia. It hurt him more than even he would admit.

"Then what can I do?" Lydia asked. "I mean I get that I'm some kind of human Geiger counter for Death but I don't know how to turn it on and off yet. All I know is she tried to kill me because of…"

"Because of what?" Stiles asked, looking over at Bennett before staring back at Lydia. She was staring off in space and seemed to not be paying attention to them anymore. "Lydia! Because of what?"

"When she called me a banshee." Lydia said, breaking out of her trance and looking at her cousin. "She was surprised by it. What if that's not why she tried to kill me?"

"Then why did she?" Bennett asked. He was confused by this whole situation. It worried him that Jennifer seemed to have every piece of the puzzle strategically set up to achieve her goals and they were 12 pieces behind.

"That's what we need to find out." She replied.

"Let's go then." Stiles said standing up and walking towards the door. "I'm sure Morrell can give us some insight on that as well."

"Yea, since the Book told us almost nothing." Bennett said agreeing with his boyfriend as he also walked towards the door.

"And umm..guys?" Lydia said, making the other two turn and look at her. "The next time you two plan to have sex, try and be a little quieter."

She pushed past the two of them, a small smile on her face at the shocked looks on both of their faces, a light blush creeping across their cheeks.

_Yup,_ Bennett thought as he followed his cousin out the door. _This is going to be a long day._

* * *

"Ok guys, I'll meet you at her office. I've got to grab something from my locker." Bennett said, turning from them and walking down the hall.

The three of them arrived at Beacon Hills High School and headed up to the second floor where Ms. Morrell's office was. On the way there, Bennett had caught Stiles up on what little the Book of Shadows told them about banshees. The entire drive there, Lydia had been texting Aiden, hoping he could tell her **something** but so far he hadn't responded. They had arrived at school right after the second period bell had rung, the hallway teeming with student going about their business. Some part of Stiles envied them. Their lives were simple, the way his used to be before Scott was Turned. But another part of him was happy it happened. It opened his eyes to the real world; a world where there's not always a perfect ending. A world where people died and betrayed; a world with Bennett.

"Aiden still hasn't texted me back." Lydia said exasperated. "Ok, maybe we could just go in there and…"

She was interrupted by the buzzing of Stiles' phone. He pulled the phone from his pocket and opened the message he had just received from Isaac.

As Stiles read the message a cold fear shot threw his body, a panic that clenched against his throat and choked him. He could hear his heart in his ears, pounding to the rhythm of his rushing blood.

"What?" Lydia asked. She could tell something was wrong; Stiles was turning an odd shade of green and his hands had begun shaking. "Oh god, what is it now?"

"It's from Isaac." He said, glancing at her before staring at the phone. He felt hot; too hot and it almost pained him to say the words. It wasn't just the words that clawed at him. It was what the words meant to him. "Jennifer has Allison's father…she took him. She got all 3 now."

"There's still time. We still have time right?" Lydia asked.

But Stiles could barely hear her. The feeling of panic intensified and it made the hallway spin. It gripped his knees and brought him down. It seized his heart, his lungs, and his mind. He couldn't think straight. He couldn't see straight. He couldn't breathe. He could see Lydia mouthing her concern but no sound came from her lips, at least, no sound Stiles could hear.

"I think I'm having a panic attack." He choked out, the room tilting and spinning like a House of Mirrors.

"Ok," Lydia said grabbing him. She glanced down the hall, looking for a place to calm Stiles but the closest door to them was the boy's locker room. "Follow me."

Guiding him over to the door, she could see he was losing the battle. He was wheezing, gasping for oxygen but none was given and he was turning pale. She was starting to panic too, her usual levelheadedness fleeing. For the second time in the last 24 hours, Lydia felt powerless. When she looked over at him, he had collapsed on the locker room floor, futilely trying to catch his breath.

"Just try and think of something else. Anything else, like happy things; good things- friends, family..." She said, trying to calm him. He gave her a knowing look when she mentioned family and she instantly remembered why that would only make things worse. "Uh, I mean, not family. Oh god! Ok, try and slow your breathing."

"I…I can't." Stiles choked out. He could feel a searing hot pain in his chest and the struggle to breathe was a struggle he was losing. He could barely get a slip of air in his lungs and he could feel its ice cold grip wrapping around his throat. He felt like he was going to die.

"Look at me! Shhh…look at me Stiles!" Lydia said, placing his face in her hands and diverting his attention to her face. She didn't know why but looking at him in this moment, she felt something she had tried to deny for a long time, a feeling she never wanted to embrace for her own selfish reasons. Before she knew what she was doing, her body on autopilot, Lydia looked at Stiles hard and she kissed him.

* * *

Bennett walked down the hall towards his locker and slowly twisted the dial, entering in his combination. He had remembered in the car that he had taken off his family's Protection Charm necklace and left it in his locker. He usually never takes it off but it had snagged on his jacket and the simple leather string it was secured on broke so he put it in his locker for safekeeping. His mother told him it had been in their family as long as the Book was and it was the strongest protection relic she had ever seen. He had never been in a position to have to use it but today felt like the kind of day where a little protection was sorely needed.

Bennett grabbed the necklace and lifted it so it was eye level. It was a small silver circle, roughly the size of a nickel but the edges were slightly uneven. On one side was a pentagram that had been roughly carved into it. On the other side, written in the language of the witches were the words _"Nistima. Nasinte. Nindome." _which meant "To Learn. To Know. To Will."

Bennett tied the two broken ends together, securing it with a knot before pulling it over his head. The charm looked harmless but Bennett could feel the magick radiating off of it.

As he closed the door of his locker, a sudden fear hit Bennett in an instant. The fear grew stronger and he couldn't feel his heart speeding up, his breathing coming in small bursts. He could feel the hallway tilt to the left, then to the right and he had to throw his back to his locker to stay upright. Even though the panic was crippling, it felt distant to him and Bennett instantly knew it wasn't his fear he was feeling; it was Stiles'

Bennett closed his eyes, and focused his magick on the fear, using it as a beacon that would tell him where Stiles was. As he opened his eyes, the fear receded to a dull but he could still feel it enough that his heart was beating a mile a minute. Bennett followed the feeling back down the hall to where he had left Stiles and Lydia and it led him to the second floor boy's locker room. Bennett closed his hand around the knob and turned it but when he walked into the room, he saw a sight he had been dreading all night. A sight that ran his blood cold but his body turned fever pitch.

And all Bennett saw was red.

* * *

Stiles was frozen. He could feel Lydia's lips on his, could feel his breathing calm as the surprise of the kiss was wearing off. He could almost hear the seconds tick by. _One…two…three_. A part of him relished the kiss. It was something he had wanted since he first saw Lydia Martin in the first grade, her red hair in ponytails. She was wearing a navy blue dress with lace on the trim and Stiles remembered telling Keith, his best friend at the time, that he was going to split his cookie with her. To Stiles, that was love. But now that it was happening, a bigger part of Stiles resisted, protested, screamed at him that this was not what he wanted anymore. What he wanted was Bennett.

Stiles opened his eyes and grabbed Lydia by the shoulders pulling her away.

"What was that?" He said looking into her eyes.

She began to answer but suddenly Stiles could feel an intense pain shoot through his chest. It was a feeling he had only felt one other time. It was a hopeless lose that turned his blood to ice and clouded his senses. It was so intense he had to grab his chest and pray that it would go away. He knew what this pain was.

It was heartbreak.

And rage.

Stiles glanced at Lydia but a movement to her left drew his eyes over. Standing behind her was Bennett. Stiles could see a look in his eyes that he had never seen before. He could see Bennett's eyes go dark and grow the way they did when he used magick. As soon as Stiles noticed this, he turned towards Lydia but it was too late.

Lydia's body lifted off the ground and smashed into the lockers, bringing with it a loud crashing sound. Instead of falling, her body was pressed into the lockers, held there by an invisible force. Her eyes went wide as she looked first at Stiles and then at Bennett, his hand stretched out in her direction, his face devoid of any emotion.

"Let me guess," Bennett said. Even though his face lacked feeling, his voice held it all. It cracked as he spoke and everyone in the room could hear the pain of his words. "You slipped and his mouth caught you? Or was he killing a fly on your lips with his? Say something to me about how it was an accident that you were kissing my boyfriend!"

Lydia tried to reply but Bennett just clenched his fingers causing her to choke. Stiles could hear the strangling noises Lydia was making and as he looked at Bennett he realized it was the first time he had ever feared him.

Bennett could feel Lydia losing consciousness but he didn't care. The earth cried for his pain and the sky heard their cry. Thunder rumbled and every lover in the building clutched their hearts in pain. But through the haze of his anger Bennett could feel a familiar force trying to pry its way in, poking at his mental blocks. In one huge spike, the force pushed its way in and Bennett heard a voice he hadn't heard in a while. The comforting familiarity of his mother's presence.

_Bennett Warren Rosenberg, let your cousin go! You're killing her!_

_ Mom?!_

But just as quickly as she was there, her magick fled from his mind and he was once again alone. The momentary break in his concentration was enough and his hold on Lydia loosened, her body dropping to the ground as she coughed, trying to regain her bearings. Stiles rushed to her side to make sure she was okay.

Bennett looked over at the two of them and even though he was still furious with them, a cold guilt was fighting its way in. He felt terrible for what he almost did. He looked up and met the eyes of his cousin and all the pain came rushing back as the tears fell from his eyes.

"Didi…I'm **so** sorry!"

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'm sorry too, don't be mad at me! This is the emotional chapter and after I wrote it, I realized it was twice as long as the other chapters so I broke it up into 2 parts. The second part is already written but I won't post it until tomorrow to build up some tension. Lol.

I know I'm evil.

I didn't know if I'd have another chance to write something sexual into this story so I chose to start this chapter off with a little nasty.

And that protection charm necklace is an important piece of the Stinnett relationship. It was supposed to have been introduced more towards the beginning of the story and originally it was supposed to keep Bennett from using his powers on Stiles and they were going to have an emotional scene where Stiles accuses Bennett of using his magick on him and B would tell him that he couldn't even if he wanted to that the necklace protected Stiles from his magick cuz he loved him and blah blah blah. Clearly that never happened so it makes an appearance now!

There is also a reason his mother is MIA.

I was plagued with the dilemma of if I wanted to keep the kiss we knew was going to happen for a while now or if I'd just glaze over it but I chose to keep it because I realized since this story is almost over, it didn't have any relationship problems and I didn't want it to seem like it was all sunshine and roses for them so stay tuned to see what happens next!


	11. Chapter 11- Alpha Pact Pt 2

**CHAPTER 11- ALPHA PACT PT. 2**

The tension in the car was so thick, Bennett thought he could reach out and touch it. They had gone to Ms. Morrell's office but she wasn't there so Stiles took it upon himself to go through her files. They found Lydia's files and inside of it was a picture of a tree, completely identical to the 20 trees Lydia had drawn in her notebook. Stiles realized he knew where the parents were being kept and told Bennett and Lydia to go to Derek and ask him where the root cellar was as he had been there before.

Bennett and Lydia were in Bennett's car, the music blasting and neither one talking about what had happened in the locker room. Apologies had been spoken and forgiveness had been dealt but no one truly believed the situation had been resolved. They had been sitting there listening to bad Top 40 for the last 20 minutes when Bennett abruptly shut the radio off. He was tired of feeling bad for what he had done; he was still angry. His own cousin had kissed his boyfriend. The one person he thought he could share anything with. He didn't know it also meant his man.

"You know why I'm so upset?" Bennett said, staring ahead at the road. He didn't wait for Lydia to answer before he continued. "It's not just because you were kissing him. It was because you of all people know what I've been through with men, how I was hurt before and you went and did the exact same thing he did to me."

"I remember calling you the night I discovered Adam had been cheating on me with all those people and you sat there with me all night comforting me. You told me how he didn't deserve me and that one day I would find a guy who made my heart race and he would love and respect me. Then I found Stiles. You know, at first I didn't think he would ever like me the way I liked him. And I liked him Lydia. I fell for that boy the first time I saw him but in my mind I didn't think I deserved his love. He's such a good person and I was damaged goods."

"But then all of a sudden he told me that he loved me and I can't describe to you how good that made me feel, how much I needed him to say those words. And now you've destroyed that. I know it was just a kiss, I **know** that. But it's not just the kiss that upsets me. It's the fact that you, the one person who knew how I've been hurt, hurt me without blinking an eye. It's the fact that that boy has been in love with you **forever** and he's only loved me for a month. I knew it would hurt when he chose you but I never thought it would hurt this much."

Bennett didn't wait for Lydia to answer; he simply reached forward and turned the radio back on. His eyes had never left the road so he didn't see the tears falling from Lydia's eyes as she looked at him and heard the pain in his words. And even though Bennett couldn't see her tears, he felt them. In the tiny electrical car, he felt the pain and guilt she felt and even though it hurt him to know he caused that pain, he still wasn't ready to forgive her.

* * *

_Knock knock knock!_

Bennett and Lydia were standing in front of Derek's front door waiting for him to answer. Neither one had spoken another word after Bennett had said what he needed to say and there was a palpable awkwardness in their interaction with each other.

When the door finally opened, a man in his 30s opened the door. He was wearing a green Henley and jeans and he had a goatee. Even though he was a little older, Bennett saw something attractive about him. He wasn't as smoldering as Derek but Bennett could see that good looks ran in the family.

"You!" Lydia said when she saw who opened the door. He seemed unfazed by the sight of her but Bennett could feel the anxiety and …fear? radiating from Lydia's body.

"Me!" He replied staring back at her.

"You!"

"Me!" Bennett replied pushing past them and walking into the loft.

"Derek," The man shouted. "We have visitors! It's Lydia and…?"

"Peter, this is my cousin Bennett. Bennett this is Peter." Lydia said looking between the two.

"Hello witch." Peter said, walking past him.

"Hello mutt." Bennett replied.

As they followed him, Bennett recalled the last time he was here. It was the night Boyd was killed and now that he was here again, he could feel so much pain and sadness held in the walls of this building. It crushed him; enveloped him; comforted him.

When they found Derek, he was sitting on a bed and Bennett could see that Cora was lying in the bed and she looked awful. Bennett had never been fond of the girl but seeing her lying there he knew she was dying and he knew it was painful. He mourned for her and for Derek.

"What do you want?" Derek said. He didn't look up from Cora's resting form.

"Hello Derek. I don't know if you remember me but I'm Bennett, Lydia's cousin. We need your help. We discovered that we may know where Jennifer is keeping the parents and we need your help finding it."

"Ok, how can I help?" He said finally meeting Bennett's eyes.

"They're in a root cellar. Stiles said you would know how to get there." Lydia said.

"Sorry but we can't help you." Peter replied, sitting down next to Derek. "We don't know where it is?"

"You don't know where it is?!" Lydia said, her frustration growing. "But Stiles said you've been there before!"

"We have!" Peter replied briefly glancing at Derek. "But after a few memorable experiences there Talia, Derek's mother and my older sister, decided she didn't want us going back. She knew how dangerous it was so she took the memory of its location from us."

"But then, how are we supposed to find it?" Bennett replied.

Peter gave him a shrug as if to say "I don't know" but he could see that what he meant was "I don't care." Bennett and Lydia turned to leave when Derek finally spoke.

"Wait!" He said, walking towards Bennett. "You're a witch; I can smell it on you. I need **_your_** help now."

"And I would help you why?" Bennett replied crossing his arms. "Let me guess, you need me to take you for a walk so you can do your business?"

"No," Derek said. Bennett could see he was trying very hard to contain his anger. "It's my sister. She's dying. Can you heal her?"

Bennett sighed as he looked at the werewolf in front of him. He looked tired and weak, traits you don't usually attribute to creatures that can heal as fast as they can.

"I'm sorry Derek but my magick can't heal wolves. I really am sorry." He said with as much sincerity as he could muster.

"Please…" Derek pleaded, looking into his eyes. He looked so broken. "Please…just try."

* * *

"It must be at a telluric current or at the axis of the currents or something like that. I just know it's where Derek took Paige to die." Stiles said to the people in the room.

Bennett, Lydia, Stiles, Allison, Isaac, and Deaton were all at the Animal Clinic trying to deduce the location of the root cellar since Bennett and Lydia had no luck with asking Derek.

Lydia and Bennett had been at Derek's house for several hours while Bennett tried to heal Cora. He used every spell he could think of, recited every ritual in the Book but nothing would work on the she-wolf. He finally gave up and left, his body burdened by the weight of exhaustion. It was now dark outside as they all stood in the Examination Room trying to come up with a plan.

"My dad and Gerard went there once, years ago but Gerard said he didn't remember where it was." Allison said. "My dad obviously isn't here to ask."

"Yeah, mine either." Stiles replied.

"So how do we find it?" Bennett asked.

"There might be a way. But it's dangerous…we're going to need Scott." Deaton replied looking at the group.

"Ok," Lydia said. "You and Stiles find Scott; we'll stay here and do some more planning."

Stiles and Deaton nodded as they left out of the room. Stiles spared Bennett a glance as he walked out and the look broke Bennett's heart all over again. He knew Stiles was going through a hard time but he couldn't forget what he saw and he couldn't pretend he was okay. Literally. Stiles would know he's not okay.

"So, between the seven of us, what do we have?" Isaac said, looking around. "Me and Scott have the whole wolf thing, Allison's a hunter, Bennett has magick, Deaton is jam packed full of knowledge, and Lydia…"

"Knows the art of stealing a boyfriend." Bennett replied with contempt. He hadn't realized he had said it aloud but everyone was staring at him. "Sorry."

"What's going on with you guys?" Allison replied looking at the pair. She knew how close they were so she knew something was wrong. Hell, everyone in the room could feel the tension without even knowing the situation and it wasn't all due to the Darach.

"Nothing." Lydia said looking at Bennett. "Ben, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Lydia turned and walked out the door and Bennett reluctantly followed. They walked down the hallway and made a turn and were now standing in a different but eerily similar Examination Room.

"Look, I'm sorry." Lydia said as Bennett entered the room. "I know what I did was wrong but we need to clear this up right now because there's a lot going on right now and we can't afford for there to be tension amongst the three of us."

Bennett spared a glance at Lydia, his arms folded across his chest.

"Maybe you should have thought about that tension before you kissed Stiles!" He snapped back.

"Bennett, just listen. I kissed Stiles because…"

"Because you were bored? Because you were lonely? Because you couldn't bear to see me happy?"

"Bennett, stop it!" Lydia shouted. "No. I kissed Stiles because…In the moment, in my head, I told myself I was doing it to save his life. I read somewhere that holding your breath can stop a panic attack so I kissed him. But I know that's not why I kissed him. It was a combination of things really. Yes I was lonely. Jackson's gone, Aiden won't talk to me and I had to listen to my cousin having sex so yes, I was lonely. But when I saw the way you two were this morning in the car, holding hands and smiling, I was so happy for you, for the love you found but it made me realize I'm alone."

Bennett sighed, walking over to Lydia and wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"Didi, you're not alone. You have me. And you have Stiles, and Allison and your mom."

"I know but it's just when I was with Jackson, I loved him so no one else really mattered and then he broke up with me and ran off to London and even though I was heartbroken, I was fine. I hooked up with a couple of guys, then Aiden and I was fine. But then when you and Stiles got together it made me realize I didn't have Stiles."

"What? But he's wanted you forever; you could have had him anytime."

"I know but I never wanted him. I still don't think I want him."

"Then why did you kiss him?"

"Because it's what he represented. Throughout all my boy drama, I was always secure in the fact that if no one else wanted me, Stiles would. He was my safety net, my backup plan and for as selfish, heartless, and conceited as that sounds, I liked knowing I could have him whenever I wanted him but then he fell in love with you and all of my options were gone. And for once I felt truly alone."

Bennett looked at Lydia. He looked at the openness, the pain, and the raw emotion she had just shown him and all of the tension and animosity he felt towards her simply disappeared. As much as he was hated her minutes ago, it was no longer there. He loved her, his best friend, his cousin. And Bennett could finally let go. He could finally forgive her.

* * *

"Alright, what did you bring?" Deaton asked, looking at Stiles.

The two of them had returned with Scott and they quickly began grabbing 3 metal tubs and filling them with ice, water, and mistletoe. Deaton said this ritual would save the parents from being sacrificed as Stiles, Scott, and Allison were meant to be replacement sacrifices for them. He then told each of them to grab something which connected them to their parents. Bennett had read about a similar ritual in the Book and he knew about Nemeton's and Druid power spaces but he also knew that if this ritual were to succeed, they would be giving power back to the Nemeton and that wasn't a good thing. Bennett knew there were other things out there besides werewolves, kanima, and witches and he knew if they did this ritual, it would draw all of the things that go bump in the night to this land. His land.

"Ummm…It's my dad's badge." Stiles replied, holding up the misshapen star. "Jennifer kind of crushed it in her hand but I tried hammering it out. Still doesn't look great."

Bennett could feel and see the pain the relic was bringing up in Stiles and it crushed him deeply seeing him like that.

"It doesn't need to look good if it has meaning." Deaton said. Next, he glanced at Allison. She had been fiddling with something small and silver.

"Is that an actual silver bullet?" Isaac asked looking at the item in her hand.

"Yea," she replied staring at the bullet. "My dad made it; it's a ceremonial thing. When one of us finishes learning all the skills to become a hunter, we forge a silver bullet as a testament to the code."

Every person in the room could feel all of the emotion swirling in the atmosphere and even those who hadn't lost someone wanted to cry for them.

"Scott?" Deaton inquired glancing in Scott's direction.

"My dad got my mom this watch when she was first hired at the hospital." He replied opening his palm to reveal a gold watch with a brown leather band. "She used to say it was the only thing in their marriage that worked."

"Ok," Deaton said. "The three of you will get in and each one of us will hold you down until you are essentially, well…dead. But it's not just someone to hold you under; it needs to be someone who can pull you back. Someone who has a strong emotional connection to you. A kind of 'emotional tether'".

Lydia and Allison smiled at each other, while Bennett and Stiles nervously looked at one another. Bennett could feel the question behind Stiles' actions, asking Bennett if they were still together in this. Bennett gave Stiles a small nod as he silently walked over to him and hugged him. Lydia began walking towards Allison when Deaton stopped her.

"Lydia," he said as the girl turned to look at him. "I need you to keep track of time."

He handed her a stopwatch as she nervously glanced at the people in the room. She could already deduce what this meant. If Bennett was with Stiles, and Deaton was with Scott…

"It's essential we don't keep them under longer than they need to be, to be brought back."

"Are you sure?" Allison asked. "I mean, Scott and I both have to go under."

And as she looked up at Isaac, the weight of those words fell on everyone in the room. Allison looked at Scott, a pleading look in her eyes. She never wanted to hurt him and she knew that this would definitely hurt him.

"It's ok." Scott replied looking between the two of them.

The three sacrifices walked over to their respective tubs, each holding their object in their hands. Allison took the first one, Stiles in the middle, and finally Scott to his left while their "emotional tethers" stood behind them. Lydia took up post in front of Stiles' tub in the middle, holding the stopwatch.

"Wait." Bennett said, bringing everyone's attention to him. He began pulling the amulet off his neck. "Stiles, I want you to wear this."

Stiles took the charm and put it over his head. "Why? What does it do?"

"It's a very powerful protection charm. I want you to wear it so I know that you come back to me." Bennett replied. "I'm sorry."

Stiles offered no other response but to wrap his arms around Bennett and kiss him. The kiss was quick and chaste but it offered Stiles all the reassurance he needed to know that Bennett would be waiting for him. In the back of his mind, he could hear Scott gasp but he didn't care. He had his boy back and it felt too right to ever be wrong.

Stiles pulled away from the kiss, a small smile on his face as he turned from Bennett and again stood in front of the tub. His eyes briefly met Lydia's and they each nodded at each other, an agreement that they were both okay with how things turned out.

Allison was the first to step into her tub and the other boys followed suit. Bennett could see the shivers wracking Stiles' body as he slowly submerged himself into the ice cold water. His already pale skin was growing paler as he slipped under, the water coming up to his chest. His lips were turning blue, his jaw wouldn't stop chattering, and Bennett could feel the cavalcade of emotion swirling through Stiles- sadness and fear, but surprising love and hope as well.

"By the way, if I don't make it back and you do, you should know something." Stiles said looking at Scott. "Your dad's back in town."

The emotion that flitted across Scott's face was virtually unreadable.

No one had time to dwell on lost emotion as Deaton looked over at Bennett, Isaac, and Lydia and gave each of them a nod.

Isaac, Bennett, and Deaton moved forward and slowly began pushing each of the sacrifices into the water.

Bennett watched as Stiles' head went underwater, the beautiful hazel eyes he had grown to love closed under the glacial waves. Bennett closed his own eyes and prayed.

He prayed to any and every God that would hear him. He prayed for many things.

He prayed that his vision wouldn't come true and Stiles' father would not be killed.

He prayed for Lydia. He prayed that someone would come and allow her to feel true love.

He prayed for Stiles. He prayed that he wouldn't die tonight or any other night for a very long time.

He prayed for those who had already lost too much. He prayed for Isaac and Allison.

He prayed for Melissa McCall, Chris Argent, and John Stilinski that they hold on to their own hope. That they didn't give up.

He even prayed for Jennifer. The girl who lost everything. The girl who was betrayed by those she thought were her friends, left to die in her own blood.

He prayed for the wolves. He didn't like them but he knew there was something seriously wrong with Cora and he knew some tough choices would have to be made.

He prayed for the past. The present. And the future.

Bennett prayed for himself. He prayed that he would have the strength he would need to kill the woman who hurt so many of his people. A woman who, in her selfishness for revenge robbed people of their beloved. He prayed that he would have guidance and foresight, concentration and resolve.

But mostly, he just prayed.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

And there you have it, part 2! I hope you guys liked it! I really liked writing this chapter and I had a surprisingly easy time writing the emotional scenes, even though I'm not very emotional. I think it's because I've been rereading books like Twilight, Beautiful Creatures, and City of Bones to get my head back in the writing game.

I hope Bennett didn't come off as too bitchy and bratty in this chapter but I think when you're in love, you act crazy sometimes right? And when you're in love, crazy, and a witch…deadly combo.

The show never states what Stiles' dads first name is (I don't think) but a lot of fanfiction I read gives him the name John so why not?

I'm curious as to see what's coming to town next season now that they've activated the Nemeton.

I'm also curious to see who they're going to pair Scott up with now.

I am going to write a short Epilogue after the next chapter that kind of ties everyone together and resolves Bennett's future so I have some ideas that I hope everyone likes.

I'm sad we didn't see more of Derek this season; I like him as a character just fine but dat ass doe! If you haven't seen it, you're blind! Especially that scene last season where he unsheathes his claws and they close-up of his ass bouncing…mmmm! If you couldn't tell, I'm an ass man!

It's so weird cuz now that I've turned Bennett from just a character on paper to an actual person, when I watch the show and I see the flirtation between him and Lydia, I get jealous FOR Bennett lol.


	12. Chapter 12- Lunar Ellipse

Warning: This chapter is quite long. Enjoy.

**CHAPTER 12- LUNAR ELLIPSE**

Loss.

Mortals lose people and things everyday and for them, it is a brief second; a moment when something is taken from them. Something special, something important. For them, it is something they mourn and eventually, they will move on.

For a witch, every emotional connection they make becomes a part of themselves. A part so deeply ingrained that it's sometimes hard for them to distinguish themselves from what's theirs and what isn't.

Thoughts.

Emotions.

Memories of love and lose.

These are all things a witch takes into themselves when they decide to share themselves with another.

But when these things are taken from them; when they lose that part of themselves that they have grown attached to, how can they mourn the loss? How can you mourn a part of yourself?

If a person loses an arm, their mind will trick their bodies into believing it still exists. It will try and act out the functions that would have been made possible if the limb was never severed. When a person loses another person, their mind cannot trick them into believing that the person still exists. They cannot go through the motions of showing love and affections to a ghost. This makes emotional loss so much more powerful than physical loss.

Bennett had never once felt the loss of another human being. He was fortunate enough to have never felt the cold pain of death. His grandparents had died years before his birth and he was never allowed to get close enough to another without risking the family's secrets.

In the last 24 hours, Bennett had fallen in love, forged an emotional bond with the boy he loved, felt the stab of betrayal, the relief of reconciliation, and now the emptiness of loss. Bennett felt the exact moment Stiles died. He felt it in his very core. One moment, Stiles' presence was there with him and the next moment, there was dead silence. And sometime later, Bennett shut down.

He held on for hours, hoping and praying Stiles would come back to him; that his warm, familiar aura would return and make him feel whole again. But when he looked at Lydia and asked her for the third time how long they had been out, she looked at him in sympathy and answered.

12 hours.

In 12 hours, Bennett had not eaten a meal. He barely left Stiles' side. He prayed. He cursed the Gods. But he never gave up hope. The sun had risen some time ago and still Bennett didn't move. He could feel Lydia and Deaton's thoughts and emotions on the wind but unlike before, he wasn't surrounded by them. They blew across his face like a whisper and disappeared entirely.

At 14 hours, Bennett finally allowed his eyes to close but Bennett knew he wasn't going to sleep. He could feel as his spirit tore itself from his body and entered the Astral Plane.

Bennett looked around the room of the animal hospital and the subdued Astral Plane reminded him of how close yet so far away the two worlds were from each other. Every color was a pale, muted imitation of the vibrancy that the real world held. The only bright spots in the room were Deaton and Lydia's dark purple auras, pulsing sharply against their pale skin, the light spilling from their bodies like paint on a canvas. Isaac's black aura seemed to draw all other light in the room into it, sucking it all into himself.

Bennett looked at the three bodies floating in the water. They had no aura at all. Bennett expected to see their Shades clinging to the place of their deaths, their murky grey auras weighing down the lightness of the astral plane but there were no Shades.

Bennett closed his eyes and channeled happiness and light. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in the center of Beacon Hills Park. Even the mid-afternoon light felt less than it should be on this plane. Children laughed and played, enjoying the fleeting moments of their adolescence before the pressure of adulthood consumed them. Teenagers gossiped and smiled, replaying the events of the day and the possibilities of the future. Mothers watched their children in adoration, their hearts swelling with thoughts of love and warmth.

Bennett smiled at the ordinariness of the scene. His whole life he had always been so proud of being a witch. His mother had always taught him to love himself and who he was. But looking at the smiling faces, Bennett envied them. He envied how simple their lives will always be. Many of them will go their whole lives without ever knowing what lurks in the dark. They will grow old and die and so will their children and their children after.

Bennett didn't know how long he watched them but he suddenly felt a pain in his center, a tugging feeling he knew was his body calling his spirit back to it. At first, Bennett resisted the pull but he finally just let go.

He let go of his pain.

He let go of his anger.

He let go of his envy.

He let go and opened his eyes. And the first thing he saw was the smiling face of the man he loved, wet and grinning back at him.

So Bennett let go and kissed him.

* * *

"You are not going back with them." Stiles said to the room. He was still dripping wet but it concerned him a lot less than the fact his best friend had just announced he was returning to the enemy's side.

Bennett could feel a heaviness in his limbs. He didn't know if it was because he was out of his body for 2 hours, if it was because of the loss of his emotional connection, or the fact that the eclipse was only hours away. Whatever it was, it felt as if the Earth itself was reaching up and dragging him down. Despite this, Bennett was happy again. Stiles was back. And although it worried him that his existence was so wrapped up in this one mortal boy, he pushed those worries aside and held on to his boyfriend's hand.

"I made a deal with Deucalion." Scott replied.

"Does anyone else think that sounds like a deal with the Devil?" Stiles said. Bennett could feel the anger rising in Stiles but the feeling was so distant and detached from the strong sensations he usually felt from the boy.

Isaac who had been silent most of the time spoke up.

"Why does it matter anyway?"

"Because I still don't think we can defeat Jennifer without their help."Scott replied looking Isaac in the eyes.

"He trusts you more than anyone, tell him he's wrong." Allison piped in, directing her statement towards Deaton.

Deaton looked at the teenagers in the room before answering.

"I'm not sure he's wrong. Circumstances like this sometimes require you to align yourself with those who you'd normally consider enemies."

"So we're just supposed to trust him?" Bennett asked, pulling himself closer to Stiles. He was still shivering and Bennett wanted to offer as much as he could for him. "The guy who calls himself 'Death: Destroyer of Worlds? I mean, what is that anyway? We're not living in some comic book."

"No," Deaton replied. "But we can use him to our advantage. He may be the enemy but we can use him as bait."

Deaton was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. Everyone looked at each other in question. When they walked to the entrance, they could see one of the twin Alphas, Ethan.

"I need your help."

* * *

Kali was pacing in Derek's loft scolding Aiden for allowing Derek to escape. Lydia and Bennett decided to go with Ethan to the loft to convince Kali and Aiden not to kill Derek while Allison, Scott, and Isaac went to Allison's house to find something of her father's to use to track him with. When they arrived, they tried to talk Derek out of fighting Kali head-on, especially now that he no longer had the power he use to have.

Kali was just finishing her verbal lashing about his feelings for Lydia when glass began to rain down on them and Jennifer's body came falling from the sky, landing neatly in the midst of the wolves.

"So, who's first?" She asked, looking at everyone in the room.

Bennett knew that for as much as everyone else wanted to be the one to end her, it was up to him to kill her. It was why he had come here in the first place. And he knew he would have to do it before the eclipse or he would have no chance of beating her. Bennett sharply inhaled and prepared himself for battle, calling his magick to the forefront, ready to use at any moment. The closer they came to the eclipse, the more he could feel his magick draining from his body but he wasn't going to let that stop him.

Before Bennett could make his first move, Kali stepped up to Jennifer, delivering a swift kick towards her head but Jennifer easily dodged it. Kali tried 2 more times to use her clawed feet to take off Jennifer's head but again Jennifer dodged both blows, parrying them with a blast of telekinetic energy, knocking Kali to the ground.

Aiden then stepped up to her, lashing out with his claws but again, she blasted him back. Ethan, who had been standing in the back with Lydia and Bennett, pulled his jacket and shirt off and charged past Jennifer to his brother just as Aiden was picking himself up from the ground and ripping his own shirt off. When he made it to his brother, Ethan grabbed Aiden's arm and the two of them began merging, their muscles rippling as their bodies attempted to reconstruct themselves into one singular being.

Jennifer charged at the two of them mid-transformation and Bennett could tell they weren't going to change in time, they were changing much too slowly. Jennifer grabbed them both by the neck and ripped them apart, tossing each of them to the side like rag dolls.

Bennett grabbed Lydia and pulled her towards him but she wrenched herself from his embrace and ran over to Aiden's prone form.

Behind her, Kali began pulling herself up from the ground as Jennifer paced towards her. Kali flipped past Jennifer as Jennifer attempted to strike out at her. The two of them stood face to face, Jennifer with malice and vengeance in her eyes but Kali wore a different expression. She seemed almost calm.

"That's right Kali," Jennifer said, staring Kali down. The tension in the air was palpable and everyone could feel the power Jennifer was releasing into the atmosphere. "Look at my face. Do you know what it takes to make myself look like this? To be able to look normal?"

"I don't care." Kali responded, a smirk playing across her lips.

"It takes power. A lot of power. Power like this."

Bennett could feel the rippling effect of magick's influence on the physical plane. The way the air almost stands still and the electricity moves through the atmosphere. He knew the woman had grown powerful but in the midst of her, Bennett never realized just how powerful she had become. She should have never been able to get this strong. He knew that her kind were unaffected by the power negating influence of the eclipse but a cold fear slide down Bennett's spine. He didn't know if he could stop her. His worry was no longer if he could bring himself to kill her but if he would be able to slow her down.

Jennifer raised her hands, the glass from the shattered skylight shaking beneath her feet. Slowly the glass began to rise, circling around her body as if suspended by invisible wires. The sight was both terrifying and beautiful to Bennett, his heart quickening from the sudden rush of power. The wind began to pick up, blowing Bennett's hair back at the sheer force she was exerting.

"I should have…" Kali began. Her calm was gone but she wasn't afraid. "I should have ripped your head off!"

The glass froze for one moment. A moment where a person's life and future could be decided with one gesture. Every piece of glass floating around Jennifer twisted and turned until its sharp edge was pointing directly at Kali, each point a deadly weapon. With one final battle cry, Jennifer released the force of her magick, driving the shards of glass into Kali's body.

For once Bennett was happy he could not feel the wolves. Because if he could, he would have felt the pain of each piece entering Kali's body as if it were his own. He would have felt Kali's life as it slipped from her. And that was a feeling he couldn't bear to experience again.

As Kali laid dying, blood pooling under her, the twins had somehow managed to crawl towards each other and their merged form climbed to his feet, intent on killing the woman who had just murdered their pack mate. The hybrid swung out at her with enough force to break an oak tree in half but Jennifer easily dodged it, twisting around the hulk's body and grabbing him from behind by the neck. Bennett could hear the bones as they cracked in his neck and he could feel the vibration of his limp body hitting the floor, blood shooting from his mouth as the twins too slipped away.

"What's the line that Coach says? The bigger they are…" Jennifer said, stalking towards Lydia and Bennett. Bennett pushed Lydia behind him but he could hear the sounds of her heavy breathing, could feel her panic tickling his back. He would die before he let this abomination hurt his cousin.

Angling Lydia away from Jennifer, Bennett faced Jennifer, pushing Lydia back and out of the crossfire.

"Jennifer, I'm sorry for what they did to you but you will not touch Lydia!" He said. He willed his eyes to go black, hoping the spectacle would instill intimidation in the woman.

"And you think you're the one to stop me? Especially with the eclipse so close…"

Jennifer pushed her power towards Bennett but before it could hit him, he latched on to her magick and commanded it to hit her instead, sending it back in her direction. He could feel the darkness in her magick and it felt so different from his. When he used his magick, he could feel its connection to the Earth but with hers, it felt cold and empty. Like death.

Jennifer flew back, landing on her back as Bennett walked towards her.

"You can't beat me Jennifer. No matter how many sacrifices you have, you are still nothing but a pale imitation of a witch."

Jennifer climbed to her feet with a growl. Again she threw her magick out at him, the cold emptiness temporarily washing over him before he pushed it back at her. She was ready this time, absorbing the blast back into herself.

"You witches always thought you were so much better than we are." Jennifer said with a sneer. "Just because of your connection to your lands but **that's** what makes you weak."

Jennifer lifted a large shard of glass behind Bennett and aimed it at his head. She released the shard but right before it struck Bennett, it hit an invisible wall and shattered, falling like dust to the ground.

"You say we're weak but at least we have a connection to something. Druids are nothing but witches who can't feel the embrace of the Earth. You walk around feeding off the strengths of others but you have no strength of your own. But now I'm going to show you the strength of the Earth." Bennett said, closing his eyes.

For a minute, everything stood still. Bennett found his inner peace and nothing else seemed to matter. Bennett sent his magick out, opening his mind to everything around him. He let the thoughts and emotions of the world fill him. Bennett latched onto the echoing voices of the wind, twisting around the room, waiting to be claimed.

_I bind you to me _he told the winds. _I bind you to work for me, for I am your master._

At first, the wind spirits raged against his command, their free nature pushing against the bonds of Bennett's magick. But they couldn't deny the contract they forged with him so many weeks ago in a forest clearing with his mother. Finally they relented and bowed to his command.

Bennett, using his mind and force of will, threw his arm towards Jennifer, lifting her off the ground. Here was his moment of truth. The moment when he had to decide whether to allow her to continue hurting people or when he would end it all.

He commanded the air inside of her body to come to him, slowly drawing it from her lungs. He could hear the gasping noises of Jennifer attempting to breathe, her hands uselessly clutching at the invisible force choking her. Bennett didn't have time to wonder if he could bring himself to kill her; the time for thought was over. Now is the time for action.

Bennett tightened his hold on her, making the winds do the job even they didn't want to do. It was not in the nature of the spirits to kill but Bennett tried to push the truth of his crusade into them; tried to make them understand the importance of her death.

Bennett was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn't see Jennifer flick her hand in his direction. If he had, he would have been able to counteract her power but he didn't. The only indication Bennett had that something was wrong was the immense pain spreading from his chest to the rest of his body. He saw Jennifer leave the hold of his magick, her body dropping to the ground, a smile on her face. Bennett looked down and saw a huge pole osticking out of his chest.

For a moment…one single moment, all he felt was pain.

Until the moment passed and he felt nothing.

Nothing at all.

* * *

_Elesshroa! Elessutinu!_

Bennett felt weightless; more weightless than he had ever felt in his life. Even when he astral projected and left his body, he could still feel the gentle bonds of his body connecting the two. But now it was as if he was adrift in nothingness. He couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything, and couldn't feel anything. The memories of what happened to him were there on the periphery of his mind but it didn't seem important to him.

_Umbar yel lie vand!_

The voice he had heard so many times in his life was invading his empty reverie.

_Tul n'alaquel nae amin!_

_Mom? _Bennett asked the voice.

_Bennett, I don't have much time…can only keep you…for a minute. _Her voice was fading in and out of existence, faint but insistent.

_You must not give up. You…have…chance to defeat Jennifer…_

_ What? How?!_

_ Look…in you…the answer…_

_Mom, I don't understand._

_You're dead! But…come back…find the spiral…_

_What do you mean!?_

_Find…spiral…find the spiral…_

Bennett could hear the voice fade from him as his soul began to fade. He could feel the familiar tug of his body calling him home. His mother gave him what he needed most- hope. Bennett refused to die now. He still had a job to do.

* * *

Bennett shot up, his body propelling him forward as his lungs seized in protest. The suddenly intake of air in his lungs caused him to cough, pain blooming in his chest. Bennett looked down at his shirtless body. The hole that should have been there from the pipe was gone. There was a deep gash in his chest but nowhere near the damage that should have been done. The area around it was red and tender, a pained gasp coming from his lips when his fingers brushed across it. His breaths were labored, coming in small gasps but even the pain this caused, gave Bennett a feeling of happiness. He was alive.

Bennett could hear the tapping of heels coming from outside the room he was in. The room itself was familiar to him. He was lying on a metal table in Deaton's animal hospital, the sterile smell of cleanliness hitting his nose and sending a burning through his sinuses.

The door opened and Lydia walked in, closing the door behind her. She glanced around the room, her red eyes shifting across everything in the room as if she was trying to memorize every detail. Bennett realized what she was doing. She was trying not to look at him.

Lydia took a deep breath and closed her eyes, turning her body towards the table Bennett was lying on. She slowly opened her eyes and her expression betrayed nothing. The look on her face shifted from sadness to confusion, finally settling on surprise.

"Bennett?!" She screamed. She ran over to him and threw her arms around him, the smell of the room replaced by Lydia's signature lavender scent. "I thought…Bennett, you were dead!"

"Yea, I know." Bennett replied, pushing her away and looking in her eyes. It was clear she had been crying, her usually immaculate makeup running down her cheeks. "What the hell happened?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing!" Lydia said staring at the place the hole used to be.

"I don't really remember. I remember being at Derek's place and fighting Jennifer but then…nothing."

"She shoved a pipe through your body. After that, Derek arrived and we brought you here. She…Jennifer convinced Derek to go with her."

"What?! How?!"

"I don't really know…"

"Lydia…how long was I…incapacitated?"

"You were dead for 2 hours."

Realization shot through Bennett's mind. He hadn't missed the eclipse; it wasn't too late.

"Didi, I have to go!" Bennett said, climbing off the examination table.

"Go?! Where?" Lydia said, surprise twisting her features. "You just got back from death and you're trying to leave?!"

"I can't explain it, but I have to go. I promise I'll tell you later."

Bennett raced through the halls of the hospital, making his way through the lobby and out the front door. His car was luckily sitting in the parking lot, the keys still stuck in the ignition. Bennett climbed into the driver's seat and glanced at his leather jacket sitting in the passenger's seat, the smell of metal hitting him like a ton of bricks. He turned in his seat, glancing at the backseat. His entire backseat was soaked in blood and if Bennett had to guess, it was his own.

Bennett didn't have time to dwell on the cost of cleaning his car. Instead, he threw his car into reverse and peeled out of the parking lot, his destination unclear even to himself.

* * *

Bennett was racing down the long highway to parts unknown, the mighty wind making his car rock with every blow. He could barely see through the thick blanket of fog that had fallen on the town and a major storm was kicking up, throwing leaves and twigs against the windshield of his car. This storm was dangerous; he could feel the evil intent behind it and Bennett prayed that Stiles wasn't driving in this weather. Bennett himself would have been in trouble if he hadn't had magick to command the winds to protect him but he didn't know how long that protection would last. Through the fog, he could clearly make out the glow of the moon and it was slowly drawing closer to the eclipse. He could feel the winds struggling against his weakening hold and he hoped it would last long enough for him to get where he was going.

He was following the magick of the Darach, wishing that whatever Kali had said would happen during the eclipse had not happened yet. Bennett thought about the life he would be able to lead once Jennifer was dealt with and he imagined the life he would have if she wasn't. There was no comparison, the bitch had to go.

Bennett could see the white glow of the moon suddenly grow darker, turning a deep amber. The entire world seemed to shift. Just as suddenly as they had come, the winds stopped and Bennett felt himself lose them completely. His magick faded away and Bennett knew he was mortal. He felt that familiar heaviness he felt when he was under the influence of vervain, the weight of mortality. The world seemed to drag him in and swallow him whole. There was no more magick in this world for 15 minutes.

Bennett's desolation deepened as he realized what this meant; the eclipse had begun. He had failed. His only chance to be done with Jennifer had been lost. He could no longer track her so he didn't know where she could be and even if he could; she had probably already succeeded in killing all the wolves and gaining more power.

Bennett pulled his car over, pushing it into park and climbed out. The storm had all but stopped as dread sank into Bennett like a stone in a lake. It was over. He was a failure. He had gone to death and back and still he had failed to stop Jennifer. He knew Cora had been correct when she said they were just kids.

For the first time in a long time, Bennett looked up at the sky, the moon hanging heavy in the air, taunting him; laughing at his inability to save those he had come to care for. He could feel water hitting his face but when he glanced to the sky, there was no rain. It was then that Bennett realized it wasn't rain, he was crying. Once his tears began to fall, a flood was opened and Bennett sobbed. He cried for those who had died at Jennifer's hands, the one he had failed to save. He cried for those who Jennifer would kill. And he cried for his lack of strength.

Bennett could feel something strange happening to him. It was the same feeling he had that night at the school when Jennifer took Stiles' father. That same power began flowing through him, stronger than it was before. Bennett's eyes went completely black and when he looked down at his hands, red lightning was jumping from his fingertips, dancing in a magickal tango. He could feel its magick, so raw and old.

_No,_ Bennett thought to himself _this can't be happening. The eclipse is still happening. How can I use magick?_

Bennett looked at the lightning in his hands. It looked hot and mad but it only made him feel warm and comforted but intensely powerful. The lightning held magick Bennett had never felt before. It was so strong; stronger than the magick Jennifer wielded and Bennett could feel the darkness within it. This type of magick was so old the bonds of morality were merely words to it. It was something outside the realm of good or evil; a force that called to the days of Pagan gods and ancient ritual.

_Use the power…_

Bennett spun around, the lightning in his hands dissipating and his eyes returning to normal. He knew before he turned, he wouldn't find anyone there but still he twisted around, squinting into the surrounding trees but nothing was there.

"Mom?" he uselessly called to the darkness.

_Find the spiral…_

Something inside of Bennett snapped and instantly it all flooded back to him. 'Find the spiral' his mother had told him and suddenly he understood what she had meant. He thought back to whispered words in the embrace of friends; the memories of stories told. Stories of lost love and sacrifice. Stories that had been told since the dawn of time that time and age had cast as fiction.

Stories of death and sadness.

Bennett knew where they were and he was determined to end this tonight.

* * *

Bennett trudged through the woods, thorns and bramble catching on the bottom of his jeans. He pulled his leather jacket closer to himself, against the blowing of the cold wind. The moon cast an eerie orange glow over everything, turning the forest in a sepia jungle. The fog hadn't lifted but Bennett didn't need to see where he was going to know he was going in the right direction. Something deep inside of him was guiding him.

Bennett glanced at his watch; he had been walking for almost 10 minutes. He knew that this meant the eclipse was almost over. The dread he felt before was replaced by determination. He knew that she hadn't killed anyone yet and this thought propelled him forward.

Bennett looked up at the sky just as the eclipse was beginning to fade, the amber glow of the eclipse drifting away, back to its normal silver hue. He could feel all of the magick coming back to the world; he own magick lifting him up and renewing his sense of inner calm. But Bennett knew he didn't need this kind of magick to win this battle. He didn't know what the red lightning would do but his mother had told him to use this power and that's what he was going to do.

The warehouse came into Bennett's sight, the spiral Ennis had scratched into its wall a foreboding beacon. Bennett looked at the innocuous symbol and then at the building. From the outside they both looked harmless but he knew inside there was a battle being fought. Bennett walked closer to the open doors, the sounds of voices rising as he drew closer.

""How did you do that?" Jennifer's panicked voice asked. There was true fear in her words. Fear that crippled her ability to speak and to breathe. Bennett moved closer and he could see she was on the ground in the center of a broken line of black mountain ash, Scott standing over her. Derek was leaning against the side of a wall and Deucalion was also on the ground, his eye miraculously healed.

"I'm an Alpha now." Scott said, staring down at Jennifer as she tried to retreat away from the wolf boy. "And whatever you're doing to cause the storm, make it stop or I'll kill you myself. I don't care what it'll do to the color of my eyes."

"It won't change the color of mine." Deucalion said with a snarl. He pulled himself off the ground and charged at Jennifer, his sharp claws raised in attack.

"Stop!" Bennett yelled, calling forth his magick and knocking Deucalion back.

Everyone in the room turned to Bennett as he walked through the fog into the warehouse, making his presence known.

Jennifer looked at the boy in utter shock.

"But I…I killed you."

"Then let me return the favor."

Bennett closed his eyes and found his calm. The wind blew around him and in the moment, nothing mattered. Not Jennifer. Not Deucalion. Not even Stiles. Bennett looked into himself and found that ancient magick like a bright red ball against the stark whiteness of his soul. He reached for it and pulled. He yanked it from his core and brought it towards himself. The magick no longer felt raw and unbridled. He felt in control of it, nowhere near the submission he felt towards it before. Its presence was like a familiar friend you hadn't seen in a long time. He knew that it had been there all along, waiting for him to use it.

Bennett opened his eyes and he could hear Jennifer gasp at their dark depths. The same red lightning jumped within the palm of Bennett's hand, moving from fingertip to fingertip. Bennett looked down at Jennifer, a new fear on her face and he felt nothing but pity for her.

"No…you shouldn't be able to do that!"

The lightning grew bright, casting a scarlet glow over the room as Bennett walked towards Jennifer, his face a mask of determination. Jennifer tried to back away from him but ran into Scott's legs. She was trapped.

"No! Don't touch me!"

Bennett stood above her, his inky black eyes boring into her soul.

"You once said to my cousin that both of you were the 'innocent flower with a serpent hiding under it' but I think you were wrong. I'm the serpent and you…you are nothing."

Bennett placed his hands on Jennifer's face as her screams reached a fever pitch. The lightning shot through her body, jumping from place to place, her body writhing from the force. Her eyes went white as they rolled into her head and her screams lost their tone. Her mouth was opened wide in a silent wail as her form flitted between her human visage and her warped, gnarled face. And just as quickly, the lightning vanished and Jennifer's body dropped to the ground in a lifeless heap.

Scott looked over at Bennett in surprise.

"What was that?" He asked, searching Bennett's now green eyes for answers. "Did you kill her?"

Bennett looked at the three other men in the room, the weight of what he had done settling on his shoulders.

"Honestly," he said. "I don't know. I've never done that before but I do know she's no longer a problem."

"Good enough for me." Derek said drawing his injured body towards himself and limping to where Scott, Bennett, and Deucalion were standing.

Bennett reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, intent on calling the love of his life to insure his safety.

_"Bennett?"_ Stiles answered.

"Hey. Are you ok?" He replied, hoping Stiles could hear Bennett's love through the phone.

_"Yea, I'm ok…we're all ok. What about you, are you ok?"_

Bennett let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in.

"Sort of."

_"You think you can come get us?"_

"Yea babe, of course."

_"Ok, and Bennett? Bring a ladder."_

Bennett could hear laughter on the other end of the phone and it was infectious; he found himself smiling. The smile never left his lips as he hung up the phone and slid it back into his pocket.

Bennett looked at the sky, at the moon that caused some much trouble; an object that had the ability to render him powerless but also the power to make him stronger. Bennett's victory was short-lived as a sharp pain shot through his entire body, like a fire brand consuming his entire being. Bennett could vaguely hear Scott yelling at him but he could hear nothing. Bennett looked up at the moon once more in prayer as a shadow crept along his vision.

And Bennett was consumed in darkness.

* * *

Bennett cracked open his eyelids, groaning at the brightness invading his eyes. His head hurt so badly. He tried to lift his arm to shield himself but his arms wouldn't move. Panic ran through his mind as he forced his eyes open, the light making the pounding in his head intensify. Suddenly a wave of calm swept over Bennett, making him complacent.

"Calm down sweetie."

Bennett knew that voice.

"Mom? Are you really here?"

"Yes honey, I'm here.

"What happened?" Bennett asked, turning his body towards the sound of his mother's voice. "Where am I? It's so bright."

"Oh sorry hun." She replied. He could hear her shuffling around the room and then the room wasn't so bright anymore. Bennett still couldn't see clearly but he could make out the features of his bedroom. "As to what happened, you did what you came here to do."

"Where have you been? I needed you!" Bennett tried to muster up anger but he didn't have the energy for it.

"I know but I couldn't help you. It was for your own good." Bennett must have had a look of confusion on his face because his mother continued. "The night we unbound Lydia's magick I had a vision; two visions actually. In the first one, I stayed here with you and help you and you died that day in, your friend, Derek's loft. The second showed what happened if I left and you died the night in the warehouse, completely powerless under the eclipse."

Bennett's eyesight began to clear and he could finally see his mother fully. Her usually glamorous façade had cracked and she looked terrible. Her normally silky, shiny red hair was dull and stringy, she had dark circles under her eyes, and her usual mask of makeup was gone. She looked much older than her 45 years.

"I didn't know what to do Bennett. No matter what I did, you died. So I cast a powerful Clarity Spell. I called the Spirits, I consulted the cards, I read the leaves, and I even asked our ancestors. I made deals with people I long thought dead just for answers. Finally, after all of that, I compiled all the information I was told into a plan. A plan for you to defeat Jennifer and stay alive. I could only help you at certain times or risk you dying."

Bennett laid in silence, trying to wrap his head around what his mom was telling him.

"So what happened last night? When Jennifer killed me in the loft."

For a moment, Alyssa Rosenberg looked at her son in confusion but as quickly as it had come, the look disappeared.

"I brought you back."

"But isn't that dark magick?"

"No. When a witch dies, their soul doesn't move on until their funeral when a spell is cast that Sends their soul to wherever it needs to go. I healed your body and pulled you from Limbo."

Bennett could feel the feeling returning to his limbs and he experimentally flexed his fingers. After a minute, they began to respond to him.

"Mom, what did I do to Jennifer? What was that power?" Bennett asked. He was taking in a lot of information at the moment but he needed answers.

"It was Quintessence."

"Quintessence? What's that?"

"Quintessence is the fifth element; the force that binds all things to this world. It's what makes a body work. A person could create a body but without a soul, without Quintessence, it is just a hollow shell. It is the power of life and death, good and evil. Quintessence is the force of pure magick. I only know of 2 other witches in the world who has this power. It's a very unpredictable power to have."

"Ok, so I'm this uber powerful witch, great but it doesn't explain what I did to Jennifer? Did I kill her?"

"No, you didn't kill her." Alyssa said with a smile. "But you did kill a part of her. You took away her magick. Stronger than any binding spell because they can be undone. She will never again feel the touch of magick. It's also why you're lying in this bed. In order to use Quintessence, you had to use some of your own magick so you'll be pretty weak for awhile as your magick slowly returns."

Bennett let this sink in. He had taken away her magick, something he never thought he would ever do. For people like them, whose lives revolve around magick, a life without it was death to the soul. Bennett's self deprecation was interrupted by his mother's voice.

"So…Stiles? It must be serious; the boy has never left your side." Alyssa said, glancing to her right.

Bennett hadn't noticed before but when he turned his head, there was Stiles. He was asleep in an uncomfortable looking chair, his mouth hanging open as a line of drool dripped from it. Bennett looked at his boyfriend and smiled, he couldn't help it.

Alyssa could see the love and adoration her son had for the sleeping boy and it made her happy. Her son had found love.

"I'm going to go." Alyssa said pulling herself out of her own chair with a groan. "I need to shower and I'm sure you two would like to…talk."

Alyssa silently stood and placed a kiss on Bennett's forehead before quietly closing the door and leaving the two boys alone.

"Stiles?" Bennett said to the boy but got no response.

"Stiles!" He said louder, causing Stiles to leap from his chair comically.

"Bennett! You're awake!" He shouted, jumping out of the chair and wrapping Bennett in his arms. "I was so worried!"

"Well, I'm fine now…and Stiles? Baby, you're crushing me."

Stiles blushed as he pulled away from Bennett.

"Sorry…it's just these last 4 days have been hard especially now that my dad's back and…"

"4 days?! I was out for 4 days?!" Bennett exclaimed.

"Yea… I thought I'd never see you again."

Bennett could feel Stiles relief but also his sadness. He had honestly thought he was going to lose Bennett. To reassure him, Bennett grabbed the sides of Stiles' head and pulled him closer, capturing his lips in a loving kiss. There was nothing sexual behind it, but it was filled with all the love Bennett could give. As they pulled apart, their eyes met and in that gaze Bennett could see past all the jokes and witty remarks, behind all the pain and sadness. He saw Stiles.

"Ben? Why can't I feel you anymore?"

It took a moment for Bennett to realize what Stiles was talking about. Their emotional link.

"When you died at the vet's office, it severed our connection. We won't be able to get it back until we…reestablish the bond."

"Oh. Makes sense." Stiles said blushing. "You know, your brother has been breathing down my neck since he got here. Keeps telling me he's going to kick my ass if I hurt you."

"Vartan's here?!" Bennett said, pulling himself into a sitting position.

"Yea and all of your friends from San Francisco are here too. They're not here right now but their hotel isn't far from here. I like Melanie and Skye…they're very funny but I don't like Robbie. I think he likes you."

"Robbie doesn't like me, we're just friends!" Bennett said, laughing at the disbelieving look on Stiles' face. "Now, get off the blankets, I'm gonna go say hi to everyone."

"Oh no you don't!" Stiles replied pulling the blankets Bennett was trying to take from underneath him. "You're staying right here."

"But Stiles!"

"No 'but Stiles'! You and I are going to stay right in this room for the next 2 hours and we're going to 'reestablish our bond." Stiles replied with a wicked smile.

Bennett looked at the boy crawling above him and nothing in the world felt as perfect as this moment.

Bennett would look back on his life and it's this day he would always remember as the day everything changed.

It was the day he realized just how powerful he is.

The day his life found its purpose.

The day he truly fell head over heels in love.

THE END

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

And there you have it! Hopefully I tied up all the loose ends and I hope you all enjoyed Bennett and Stiles' journey. I am clearly a fan of repetition in my writing! I think it makes things sound more dramatic. Lol.

There is a short epilogue that I'm going to write but I think for the most part, Bennett is done. I'm going to be moving on to my next story, a Supernatural story called "Sex and Sexibility" that I've already started writing so check it out when I post it.

Originally I was going to have Bennett kill Jennifer but I thought that would change who he is too much as it went against his personal beliefs and morals so I made her powerless. The scene of Peter killing her still happened.

This story has been such a journey, especially trying to tie each episode in with my story. That was probably the hardest part.

There were a lot of things I concluded in this chapter. The reason why Ben's mom had been missing and the mysterious power he exhibited at the school. And I also threw in his friends from San Francisco cuz I didn't want his relationship with them to completely disappear just because he moved.

I know I said I didn't want Bennett to be the strongest witch but my plan had originally been to give the title to Lydia but since she became a banshee, that didn't happen.

I knew from the beginning that I wanted there to be a connection between Witches and Druids but I could never find a good place to put it in, so I alluded to their connection in this chapter. To clear it up, in my story, Druids are a sub-class of Witch who don't get their magick from the land but from the people they associate themselves with. They like vampires, feeding on the strengths and weaknesses of those around them and pulling it into themselves. Witches kind of look down on them for this reason.

Here's what Alyssa Rosenberg said while Bennett was in Limbo:

_Elesshroa!- Heal body_

_Elessutinu!- Heal son_

_Umbar yel lie vand!- Fate calls you home_

_Tul n'alaquel nae amin!- Come back to me_

Thank you all so much for your support!


	13. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

"It just sucks because I get such a bad vibe from his father but until I actually see the abuse in the household, I can't legally take the child from his home." Bennett said. He was sitting in the passenger seat of the car with Stiles on their way to Dahlia Martin's house for Thanksgiving dinner. "And even if I could get him out of there, it would be tough for him in the system. Kids his age don't get adopted as quickly as the babies."

Bennett and Stiles now lived in Valley Hills, three towns over and an hour away from Beacon Hills. They lived in a modest one bedroom apartment filled with as much love as two people could have.

Stiles reached over and grabbed Bennett's hand, his eyes alternating between Bennett and the road ahead of them. He hadn't had time to change after work so he was still in his blue policemen's uniform.

"Well babe, no one said being a social worker was going to be an easy job but you have to just take comfort in the fact that you're helping people." He said, his right hand rubbing the back of Bennett's left hand. With each pass he could feel the warm metal of Bennett's wedding ring, the white gold band he gave him years ago. It looked like a tangle of leaved vines twisting around each other, a singular green stone on either side, the same shade as Bennett's eyes. Stiles had decided on something much simpler. His ring was a band of white gold with a smaller band of gold above and below it. There were 4 matching green stones placed around it. On the inside of each ring was engraved the word 'feandur' which in the language of Witches meant 'soul mate.'

"You're right." Bennett responded intertwining their fingers together. "Speaking of helping people how was work?"

Stiles smiled at his husband before answering.

"Well it was pretty dull today. No major crimes to report, just a few drunk drivers and a disorderly conduct."

Stiles had been working at the Valley Hills Police Department for the last 2 years. He liked his job but his true dream was to make detective, a feat which has proved harder than he ever expected.

"Well I'll take that over you getting hurt any day." Bennett said, looking over at Stiles.

"Trust me, I'm not gonna get hurt." Stiles replied reaching into the loose collar of his work shirt. He pulled out a tiny silver medallion on a thin silver chain. It was the same Protection Charm Bennett had given him 8 and a half years ago and he hadn't taken it off since he gave it to him.

The two of them sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the ride, each ruminating about the direction their lives had taken them. There had been a lot of pain, sadness, and heartache in their past but from the pain, they each found their happiness. Stiles would be lying if he said he wasn't ready to have a child join their family but every time he brought it up with Bennett, he simply dismissed the idea. It wasn't that Bennett didn't want a child; he had seen plenty of children at work worth adopting, he just didn't want to bring a child into the life they live. If one of them weren't working, they were driving to Beacon Hills to fight whatever monster of the week chose to come to town.

Bennett didn't think a child needed that kind of life.

* * *

"We are so late!" Bennett said as they pulled into the crowded driveway. "Everyone's already here."

Bennett pulled the visor down and flipped the cover up, the light illuminating the small square of the mirror as Stiles put the car in park. Bennett gave himself the once over, straightening his now-short hair into a presentable look. He had cut it when he went to college in St. Louis as a sign of his new independence. He went to Washington University to study social work. The first year away from his lands and power source was a big adjustment for Bennett but after a while, he learned to cope with the distance.

Each of them nervously climbed out of the car, Stiles in his uniform, and Bennett in a pair of khakis and a sweater. They had seen everyone a month ago when they came to perform their rituals for the Fall Equinox but Bennett knew something big was going to happen. His visions had grown to give him a constant 'sixth sense' allowing him to feel when something big was on the horizon. He never knew if it was good or bad news but tonight he hoped it was good.

They had barely made it up the stairs when the front door flew open and a small child collided with Stiles, the boy wrapping his tiny arms around one of Stiles' legs. During training, Stiles had put on a lot of lean muscle that turned Bennett on to no end. The child looked up at Stiles, his bright green eyes filled with tears.

"I thought you weren't going to come!" He said as Stiles picked the boy up. He was only 5 but he had grown quite big for his age.

Stiles ran his hand through the boy's messy, curly black mop of hair before pushing his chin up to look him in the eyes.

"Claude, don't cry. I'm your big brother, if I say I'm gonna be here, I'm gonna be here okay?"

The little boy nodded and wiped his hand across his running nose as he looked over at Bennett with a smile.

"Hi Uncle Ben!" He shouted enthusiastically.

"Hi Claude." Bennett replied kissing him on the forehead. He made a face and quickly tried to scrub the kiss away, turning his pale forehead bright red.

Stiles and Bennett walked into the house, Claude wrapped in Stiles' arms. The house felt warm and welcoming, the smell of food wafting through the air making Stiles' stomach rumble. Stiles put the boy down as he bolted towards the dining room.

"Everybody, they're here!" He shouted.

Bennett and Stiles made their way to the dining room and the spectacle took Bennett's breath away. It never failed to surprise him the things his aunt and mother came up with when left to their own devices. The long dining room table was jammed packed with every assortment of food you could imagine- succulent turkey, roasted ham, pastas, pies, yams, and sauces all littered the table. And for good reason. Seated along the length of the table were all of Bennett and Stiles' family smiling at the pair.

"Took you guys long enough!" Scott said. He stood up and walked over to Stiles, patting him on the back before giving Bennett a small hug. "I'm fucking starving!"

He looked pretty much the same save for the mustache and goatee he was now sporting.

"Scott, watch the language in front of your brother!" Melissa Stilinski said as Claude climbed into her lap.

After the 'Darach Event of 2013', Melissa McCall and John Stilinski realized how short life was and shortly afterward began to date. It came as no surprise to anyone as everyone could see there was an attraction between the two of them. Two years later, they were engaged and married and a year after that, Melissa gave birth to Claude named after Stiles' mom, Claudia.

"Sorry mom!" Scott said as he took his seat next to Allison.

Bennett was quite shocked to see Allison. It wasn't that she wasn't welcome; it was just that since she joined the army 6 years ago, they had hardly seen her. She looked more like the girl they all knew and loved, her long hair cascading down her back, a change from the usual tight bun she always sported. Many people were against her joining the army, especially her father and Isaac, her boyfriend at the time but Allison felt it was the only thing she could do in her adult life that would allow her to protect the people she loved. Isaac didn't want her to go. They had been dating for 2 years already and he was afraid she would get hurt, or worse, killed. Little did he know, danger didn't lurk in the deserts of the Middle East but the forests of Beacon Hills and Isaac was killed 5 years ago.

Allison fell apart. The only thing that eventually pulled her out of her depression was Scott and they had been together since.

Everyone worried about Scott after high school. He didn't have much drive or ambition. He was content to stay in Beacon Hills, fighting whatever came to town. But Melissa would see none of that. She forced Scott off his ass and made him get his life together. Scott realized that after seeing how much good his mom did at the hospital, he wanted to contribute as well so he enrolled at Beacon Hills Community College and he now works at the hospital as an RN with his mom.

Bennett and Stiles went around the table and greeted their loved ones and then took their seats next to Scott and Allison. Bennett looked across the table, meeting Lydia's gaze. She was the picture of perfection in a flowy pink blouse and black pencil skirt. Her strawberry blonde hair had been chopped into a short bob that framed her face perfectly.

"How was your flight?" Bennett asked her.

"It was good. It's miraculous that we flew here from New York and we still managed to get here on time yet you live in the same state and you're late." Lydia replied, pointing at Bennett. Bennett wanted to feel bad about their lateness but he was mesmerized by the meteor-sized diamond on Lydia's finger. It was the most beautiful ring Bennett had ever seen and Lydia loved to show it off.

Jackson smiled at his fiancées candor. His hair, as usual, was parted on the right, gelled to perfection and he was wearing another of his impossibly expensive Armani suits.

Lydia and Jackson were the definition of the perfect couple; they were rich, smart, and beautiful. When Jackson went to London to find himself, he found that he had a passion for the law and went to college to become an attorney like his father.

Lydia, on the other hand, chose to move to Massachusetts and enrolled in Harvard, eventually getting a degree in mathematics. After college she moved to New York and quickly found herself working as an actuary, specializing in Capital Management…whatever that means. It was during this time, she ran into Jackson at a coffee shop in SoHo and the rest is history. Lydia is still determined to get the Fields Medal.

"Hey now Lydia, don't be so hard on Benny. He was probably getting busy."

"Don't be so crass Vartan! We were late because Stiles' sergeant kept him late at work." Bennett said to his brother.

Even though he would never say it, Mr. Rosenberg was more than a little disappointed when Vartan announced he wouldn't follow in his father's footsteps and go into advertising. Instead, he went to San Francisco State to study Business. While there, he was recruited to play professional football for the San Francisco 49ers and he's now on their rookie team. He had put on so much muscle he was almost unrecognizable. He still kept his red hair short but he now had a light dusting of facial hair on this jaw.

"Yea right 'work'." Vartan said making air quotes.

"Speaking of work, Vartan, where is Linda?" Alyssa Rosenberg said referring to Vartan's girlfriend of two years.

"It's **_Lisa_** and she's in Texas spending the holiday with her family." He replied.

"That's nice."

It was no secret Alyssa didn't like Lisa. Lisa came from an entirely different background from Vartan and Alyssa was convinced Lisa only wanted Vartan because of his position in pro football. Bennett had met her plenty of times but found being around her uncomfortable. She, like her parents, are proud republicans and have a very narrow minded view of the world. She would never outwardly say anything negative to Bennett for fear Vartan would dump her but the bleach blonde was never very friendly to Bennett or his husband.

In the years she had been without her children, Alyssa had begun to embrace her bohemian roots and she quit her job and began dressing the way Bennett imagined his grandmother had dressed. She looked like the stereotype of the Romani gyspy- she was wearing a gold lame turban and a long black sheer caftan over a slinky floor length black gown, her neck, arms, and fingers laden with jewelry.

"So, is everyone here now?" Dahlia Martin said looking around the room.

Bennett was glad to see her smile. After her husband died a year ago, he didn't think he'd ever see her smile again but she seemed to be doing just fine.

"Where's Derek and Cora?" Sherriff Stiilinski asked looking at Stiles. He was wearing his usual casual uniform of jeans and a button up.

"They're on patrol tonight." Stiles said to his father. "There's a Siren in town apparently."

"I thought it was a Fury?" Allison replied.

"You're both wrong." Scott said to the two of them. "It's a Harpy."

Melissa rolled her eyes at the two boys.

"Why didn't you guys invite Maggie to dinner? It's got to be hard on her being pregnant in that house by herself waiting for Derek to be done."

"Mom, we did! She said she was going to spend time with her family."

Derek returned to town sometime while Bennett was away at college and he got a job doing construction. No one knows what exactly happened while Cora, Peter, and Derek were gone but when they returned, they were one person short and Derek refused to talk about it. He'd mostly spent his time hunting until a new pack came to town and he met Maggie, an exotically beautiful Beta. They began dating for some time and eventually Maggie moved in with Derek after she discovered she was pregnant with his child.

"Cora kinda scares me." Jackson said. "She's like crazy bitchy."

"She's not that bad." Stiles replied instinctively.

Everyone froze. It was an unspoken rule that no one brought up the fact that during the 4 years Bennett and Stiles were at college, Stiles and Cora had hooked up. A lot. Bennett had broken up with Stiles right before he left for Missouri. He felt that Stiles needed to experiment and sleep with other people just to make sure Bennett was who he wanted to be with. During their break, Stiles had slept with 3 other people besides Cora but when Bennett returned, he knew they were nothing but a one night stand. He knew he wanted Bennett. So much so that the day Bennett returned to Beacon Hills was the day Stiles proposed to Bennett.

"She really isn't." Bennett said, avoiding everyone's eyes.

Everyone gave a sigh of relief and the conversation continued.

"Honestly, I feel bad for her. I think she's lonely." Bennett continued.

It's still a mystery where Cora lives. She never stays in Beacon Hills longer than a week at a time and when she's there, she stays in Derek's guest bedroom. She comes and goes as she pleases. One moment she's there and just as quickly, she's gone.

Dahlia Martin stood up from her chair at the head of the table and cleared her throat.

"Ok, the food's getting cold. Time to eat!"

"Before we do," Allison said, standing up and looking at Scott. "We've got an announcement to make."

"Oh no…" Lydia said with a groan.

Allison ignored her and continued.

"I'm going to be honorably discharged from the army and I'll be moving back to Beacon Hills permanently."

"Oh!" Lydia said in surprise.

Everyone gave their congratulations to Allison but a thought struck Sherriff Stilinski.

"Wait…why are they discharging you?"

At this Scott stood up and faced the people at the table.

"Because she's pregnant. We're having a baby!" Scott said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it in support.

"I'm gonna be an uncle?!" Stiles shouted.

"I'm gonna be a grandmother?!" Melissa said surprised. Her surprise quickly morphed into a smile and she leapt from her seat and pulled them both in a giant hug, knocking Claude onto the floor in the process.

That night before dinner, everyone went around the table and said what they were thankful for. Each person told a story of love and happiness; of past failures and future successes.

Bennett looked around at the smiling faces of the people he loved. They had all come a long way but the road they all took led to places they didn't know existed. It was for this reason, Bennett decided he would no longer allow his own fears and hesitations to get in the way of the things he wanted. Parents before him made many sacrifices so that he could live the life he had come to live and he was going to choose to honor their sacrifice.

Bennett looked over at Stiles sitting next to him, the love of his life; the man he chose to spend the rest of his life with and he knew in that moment he wanted nothing more than to bring more love into their family.

Bennett was ready for a child.


End file.
